By Thai Newsroom Reporters
THE PEOPLE’S plan to call on the National Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate the Bhumjaithai-led government’s disputable TH-AI Passport project on grounds of being allegedly prone to irregularities, cronyism and non-cost-effectiveness, People’s leader Nattapong Ruengpanyawut confirmed today (July 20).
The largest opposition party is currently preparing to file a formal petition for the anti-graft agency to look into allegations that the 1.6 billion baht AI promotional project ultimately pushed by de facto Bhumjaithai boss Newin Chidchob’s son/Digital Economy & Society Minister Chaichanok Chidchob could possibly be riddled with purposeful irregularities and nepotism among certain businesspersons covertly associated with the ruling party whilst the whole project would probably fizzle out or finally remain far from being cost-effective at the expense of the taxpayer’s money, according to the People’s leader who has yet declined to elaborate.
Nattapong made his latest comment on the contentious project following an unlikely phenomenon in which online gold trader-turned-MP Pawoot Pongvitayapanu of the People’s had apparently taken a complete U-turn by speaking in support of Chaichanok’s brainchild though he had earlier emerged as one of outstanding critics of it.
Pawoot has been formally suspected by the Department of Special Investigation of being more or less involved in foreign exchange fraud perpetrated by dozens of individuals in connection with some brokerage and payment gateway firms and preying on a large number of unknowing victims.
An arrest warrant of the elected lawmaker sought by the DSI during current parliamentary recess has been denied by court whilst he categorically dismissed his alleged involvement in the forex scam.
According to the DSI, a government agency under care of the Bhumjaithai-attached Justice Minister Rutthapol Naowarat, the People’s MP had been allegedly involved in multiple transactions of cash totaling about 833 million baht over the last few years with 14 of those online transactions worth two million baht each and combinedly amounting to 28 million baht having been allegedly transferred to him from a payment gateway firm, namely Spark Digital, on a single day in 2024.
However, he has earlier contended that he had completely earned the 28 million baht profit from trading gold online before he decided to run for MP under the People’s tickets in the Feb.8 general election and that he had never advertised a forex brokerage firm, namely QRS Global, as earlier alleged.
CAPTIONS:
Top and Front Page: People’s leader Nattapong Ruengpanyawut. Above photo – PPTVHD36, Front Page – Naewna
First insert: Digital Economy & Society Minister Chaichanok Chidchob. Photo – Amarin TV
Second insert: MP Pawoot Pongvitayapanu. Photo – PPTVHD36
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