The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) is expected to decide today whether to accept a complaint against Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and four others over their alleged mishandling of the 350-billion-baht water management scheme.
Stop Global Warming Association president Srisuwan Janya on Friday filed a complaint with the NACC against Ms Yingluck, her deputy Plodprasop Suraswadi and PM's Office permanent secretary Tongthong Chandransu for trying to implement the water scheme without holding public hearings.
Mr Srisuwan yesterday filed a similar complaint against two more people - Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong and Finance deputy permanent secretary Pongpanu Svetarundra.
The Finance Ministry on Friday signed bank contracts for 324.6 billion baht in loans to finance the water projects despite the Central Administrative Court ruling on Thursday that public hearings were needed before contracts could be signed with the companies that won bids to carry out the work.
Mr Srisuwan said the five government figures violated Section 157 of the Criminal Code, which prohibits state officials from doing something, or refraining from doing something, that may cause damage to the state. They also failed to comply with sections 57 and 67 of the constitution, he said.
Section 57 requires the government to hold public hearings before undertaking activities that will affect the public, while Section 67 stipulates that any activities that have a serious impact on the environment must have health and environment impact assessment reports conducted before being implemented.
Mr Srisuwan said Ms Yingluck, Mr Plodprasop and Mr Kittiratt could be impeached if the NACC finds them guilty.
Mr Kittiratt claims he was duty-bound to approve the borrowing contracts to fund the 350-billion-baht water megaproject and said he did not believe his actions contravened the court's ruling.
Mr Plodprasop, chairman of the Water and Flood Management Commission overseeing the implementation of the water management plan, yesterday insisted the government had conducted what it believed to be public hearings for the scheme.
In Bangkok, for instance, he said, about 350,000 people had responded to a government survey. The government set up a public booth to answer questions regarding the water project at Central Department store's Lat Phrao branch for 10 days.
That could be regarded as a public hearing under Section 57, he said, adding more than 100,000 people took part in a similar event held in Chiang Mai.
The government is waiting for the findings of a panel led by Deputy Prime Minister Phongthep Thepkanchana that is studying the court's ruling.
Only four out of 148 dam projects would need an environmental impact study. "We are trying to do everything we can to prevent a repeat of the 2011 flooding. But if [this scheme is delayed] and something bad happens, the government should not be blamed," he said.