The Watchman’s unbelievable stories

A few days ago, Thai Enquirer had a story about Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan and the luxury watches he insisted he borrowed from a close but dead friend. The hopeless National Anti-Corruption Commission believed him. Well, maybe they didn’t believe him, but the commissioners decided to let him off in an investigation of assets he failed to declare.

Now, former Deputy Prime Minister Pridiyathorn Devakula, who is the executor of the will of the Prawit’s dead friend, Pattawat Suksriwong, says no luxury watches were listed in his will.

Unbelievably, Gen Prawit had another story. He asked: “How would he [Pridiyathorn] know?” He answered for Pridiyathorn: “The watches are Pattawat’s heritage, but they were not on the inheritance list because there were no important documents for them…”. How would Gen Prawit know?

He babbled on: “They are an inheritance for his children …[but] the executor of the will does not need to know everything…”. Now that’s an “interesting” observation. Or perhaps it is just a reflection of how Thailand’s wealthy and powerful ignore laws.

Move Forward Party MP Teerajchai Phunthumas has been calling for the NACC to reopen the case. We wonder if this statement by Pridiyathorn may assist in this? Probably not as the NACC is so supine when it comes to powerful military men.

Even so, “Teerajchai, in his capacity as spokesman for parliament committee on corruption and misconduct prevention and suppression, said … the committee had summoned MR Pridiyathorn, in his capacity as the executor of Pattawat’s will, for information.” Apparently, he confirmed “that there was no luxury watch on Pattawat’s list of inheritance…”.

No comment so far from the NACC.