ICT-appointed asset seizure panel to meet on 4 Mar

BANGKOK, 3 March 2010 (NNT) – The ICT-appointed panel to examine the Supreme Court’s assets seizure verdict is scheduled to convene its first meeting on 4 March 2010.

Police Colonel Suchart Wongananchai, Inspector General of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology(ICT), in his capacity as chairman of the working group, said the panel has initially been given 90 days to complete the task.

The committee comprises representatives from the Office Of the Attorney-General, CAT Telecom Public Co.,Ltd, TOT Co.,Ltd, the Bureau of the Budget, the Department of Special Investigation and all telecommunication-related agencies.

ICT minister Second Lieutenant Ranongrak Suwanchawee has today formed the fact-finding committee to initiate investigation on the asset seizure verdict on the frozen assets of the Shinawatra’s family in an effort to figure out the lodgings of the charges against all related individuals and the estimated financial damages to the state.

The ministry is mainly responsible for examining four related cases, namely the revised contract provisions for the satellite project, the conversion of the mobile phone operators’ concession fees into excise tax, the change of a telecom concession between Advanced Info Service (AIS) and TOT Public Company Limited which resulted in a reduction of the latter’s revenue share on prepaid services and the change of a telecom concession contract involving network roaming service fees, which led to the loss of revenue for TOT and CAT Telecom.