The untouchable

The Bangkok Post (31 October 2009: “Back at last”) has a revealing report on the return of Rakesh Saxena to Thailand.  It states that an unnamed but highly-placed source has revealed that “Public prosecutors are not going after any members of the so-called Group of 16 in the embezzlement case against fugitive banker Rakesh Saxena who arrived in Bangkok last night after losing a bid to avoid extradition…”.

Group of 16? There were a group of politicians who allegedly did very well indeed from Saxena’s corruption at the Bangkok Bank of Commerce (BBC), leading to its collapse in 1996 and was one of the leading indicators of the coming 1997 economic crisis. There is a statement that there is no evidence against them. But who are they?

It is no surprise that the main member of the group is Newin Chidchob. Newin has a remarkable record for avoiding legal charges over the years. This time, despite Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s weak denials, the fact that Newin is critical to the longevity of the Democrat Party-led government seems to coat Newin in teflon. Nothing sticks and he seems untouchable.

The list of some of the 16 is here.

Update: It is no surprise that Abhisit is claiming that it will be difficult to get convictions in this case: “Since the cases happened in 1994 and 1995, the inspection system, the legal process and the executives have changed…”. The BBC case has indeed gone on for years, but with various Thai governments saying they wanted to get Saxena back. Now they finally have, there are “difficulties.” What changed for the Democrat Party, which pushed the case more than a decade ago, is its alignment to some of the Group of 16 , and especially Newin.

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