PUBLISHED: 4:00 on October 21, 2023.
The government’s 10,000 baht digital money handout scheme is being closely examined, the National Anti-Corruption Commission ( NACC ) announced yesterday. It is also inviting more economic and financial experts to join its inspection of the project.
The NACC stated in a speech released yesterday that it is required to determine whether the project, which is the cornerstone of the ruling Pheu Thai Party, runs the risk of turning into policy-oriented problem, as some have speculated.
The NACC responded immediately and took activity by looking more closely into the scheme, despite the fact that no specifics of how the system will be implemented have been made available. This was due to growing concerns, particularly among senators, about the danger it poses to the president’s financial security, the statement said.
The NACC’s action came after a preliminary investigation it carried out into the digital wallet program, during which all relevant data about the scheme— including — a government policy statement — presented in parliament on September 11 – 12 — had been gathered and examined.
After the Senate invited NACC participant Suwana Swanjuta to a questioning session on this subject on October 10, the first investigation got under way.
Another development is that the Network of Students and People Reforming Thailand, a group, has petitioned the State Audit Office to use its power to halt the job.
The Pheu Thai family’s patriarch, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, urged those eagerly anticipating the plan to exercise patience as the case resolves issues related to its execution.
She was in response to Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat’s Thursday note that the implementation of February 1 might be postponed.