The auditor-general has been asked by Democrat party-list MP Phisit Li-atham to examine and advise the government on its plan to implement the digital wallet scheme.

In a letter to the auditor-general, the former deputy finance minister warned that the scheme, under which about 50 million Thai nationals aged 16 and over will each receive 10,000 baht in digital money, will seriously impact the Thai economic system and the country’s financial status.

He said he would like to call on the audit committee to advise the government as to what it should do to ensure that the money is worth the spending.

Meanwhile, National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) Secretary-General Niwatchai Kasemmongkol said the commission will take some time to study the full details of the controversial scheme, adding that a subcommittee may be set up if any issues arise which need to be studied in more detail.

He stressed that the job of the NACC is to monitor for corruption or matters which could be susceptible to irregularities. He also said that the NACC can launch a probe if there are irregularities in the scheme.

The Bank of Thailand has recommended that government scales down the amount of money to be used to fund the scheme, from 500 billion baht to about 150 billion baht, by limiting eligible recipients of the benefit to the financially fragile, or about 15 million people.

This recommendation has, however, been dismissed by the government, claiming that the scheme has already been approved by the cabinet.