National Anti-Corruption Commission secretary-general Worawit Sookboon was on Wednesday evening booed by a large group of reporters who were disappointed by his refusal to discuss the controversial issue regarding Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan’s expensive wristwatches until the next day.
Emerging from a meeting at about 6.30 pm, he told the reporters who had been waiting at the NACC head office since 9 am that the board had not discussed the issue yet and would discuss it tomorrow morning as a member of the board, Pol Gen Sathaporn Laothong, was sick but he would be able to attend the meeting tomorrow.
Asked whether it was true that the NACC’s investigating panel was able to obtain the serial numbers of only 10 of the 22 expensive wristwatches seen worn by General Prawit, Worawit declined to answer as he told the disappointed reporters to wait until tomorrow when more details about the case would be available.
Asked how the board would decide if there are only eight members left after the NACC chairman Pol Gen Watcharaphol Prasarnratchakit pulled out from the case and if the votes are even, the NACC secretary-general again refused to reply.
The NACC board was supposed to decide whether the fact-finding report of the probe panel was strong enough to implicate General Prawit of wrongdoings or whether more evidence would be required.
The wristwatch controversy started when someone posted in the social media that the wristwatch worn by General Prawit in a group photo taken at the Government House late last year that was a Richard Mille which was worth several million baht.
More expensive wristwatches worn by the deputy prime minister were exposed on the social media, but he claimed that the wristwatches were borrowed from a close friend who was a former high-school classmate who has already passed away.
