The latest assets declaration report of former deputy prime minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon -- an ex-junta "big brother" -- released by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) reminds us of his notorious watch saga and how the anti-graft agency failed the public in clearing the controversy.
Gen Prawit, 78, is no longer a political office holder. He declared the assets in his position as chairman of the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT), a top position that requires him to declare his wealth every three years.
In the report, it says that Gen Prawit's wealth, at 87 million baht, has shrunk a little from 89 million baht when he was in office. The report also states that he has only "one wristwatch", priced at "15,000 baht".
Once again, it's the general's wristwatch that has drawn the public's attention, as well as a tide of sarcastic remarks.
In December 2017, the general, then deputy prime minister, made headlines when he was spotted wearing a platinum Richard Mille RM 029, which costs about 5 million baht at the market price, and a diamond ring at a Government House event. The items were not on the list of his declared assets.
As if that wasn't enough, it was later found that he had worn more than 20 different luxury watches on several occasions over the years. Like the questionable RM, those items -- with an accumulated value of over 10 million baht -- were not included in his assets report.
In response to public suspicions, Gen Prawit made statements, albeit inconsistent ones. Initially, he told the media the expensive accessories were old items, but later on, he said they belonged to a deceased friend and after it became a controversy, he had since "returned" them to the friend's family.
The public outcry over the statement forced the graftbusters to launch a probe. The following year, the NACC ruled that there were no grounds for the accusation that Gen Prawit had hidden his wealth, without any mention of the inconsistent statements Gen Prawit made about his otherwise undeclared wealth. The NACC declared the case closed, yet public anger soared, not only toward the general but also the graftbusters.
The NACC should have learnt that endorsing Gen Prawit's claims comes with a high cost.
As the NACC dismissed calls for details of the investigation to be opened, political activist Veera Somkwam- kid, head of the Anti-Corruption People's Network, petitioned the Administrative Court, which ordered the agency to hand him the probe documents, ie, fact-finding reports, the opinions of the anti-graft officials in charge of the case, and the NACC's meeting reports.
The NACC, however, did so reluctantly and some of the information was redacted and several pages were left blank. The angry activist vowed to seek the impeachment of those involved.
Niwatchai Kasemmongkol, NACC secretary-general, claimed unconvincingly that the agency had to keep some information confidential to protect the witnesses and maintain integrity.
Coincidentally, it was at this time last year that the Supreme Administration Court gave a ruling, upholding an order by the lower court that the NACC reveal the investigation's details.
The court later on threw out the NACC appeal that it should review its decision.
Another year has gone by without any signs that the NACC will comply with the court order. The agency cannot drag this out for too long. It will soon learn that there is indeed a price to pay.