Thaksin's assets declared by Thai anti-graft agency

The assets of Thailand's former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his family before the Sept. 19 coup have been officially disclared by the country's anti- corruption agency on Friday, which was seen by to some observers as "unusually modest", Thai News Agency reported.

According to Thailand's National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC), the former prime minister, who was ousted by the military coup on September 19, has been found only a few million baht richer while the wealth of his wife, Pojaman, has dropped by 1 billion baht (26.8 million U.S. dollars) over a five-year period.

The NCCC was newly appointed by the military Council for Democratic Reform (CDC) after it staged the coup, to probe former cabinet members' assets and their possible link to corruption, as accused by oppositions.

NCCC had issued a deadline for the former cabinet members to declare their latest assets and liabilities before Wednesday, 30 days after the coup date.

As officially reported to the previous NCCC in March this year, Thaksin's assets amounted to 512 million baht (13.7 million U.S. dollars). The ousted prime minister reported no liabilities at that time.

However, critics feel the declared assets are an unusually modest fraction of the actual value of the Thaksin family assets. U.S.-based Forbes magazine this year estimated the billionaire- turned-politician's assets at over 2 billion U.S. dollars.

According to the NCCC, the former prime minister appears to have had only a modest fortune compared to the 8.9 billion baht ( 240 million U.S. dollars) in wealth belonging to his wife, Pojaman, who also reported 110 million baht (3 million U.S. dollars) in debts.

Thaksin's assets were found to have risen 3 million baht (about 80,000 U.S. dollars) but those of Pojaman dropped by 961 billion baht (26 U.S. dollars) during the past five years, according to the disclosed papers currently available to the public at the NCCC 's offices in Bangkok.

Paethongtarn, the ex-premier's youngest daughter, who has not yet come of age, was reported to have 3 billion baht (about 80.5 million U.S. dollars) in wealth.

The latest figures of assets and liabilities of Thaksin, his spouse and children, filed with the NCCC Wednesday after Pojaman came back from London to Bangkok, are scheduled to be unveiled to the public in one month.

The most wealthy among those who assumed ministerial posts under the Thaksin administration was former foreign minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon with 4.4 billion (118 million U.S. dollars) in wealth and the least wealthy happened to be former deputy education minister Roong Kaewdaeng with 920,000 (about 25,000 U.S. dollars).

Source: Xinhua