The Office of the Ombudsman of Thailand (OOT) has dismissed the allegations of irregularities in the junta multi-billion baht submarine deal with China.
Raksagecha Chaechai, Secretary-General of the OOT, announced that the OTT found no irregularities in the 13.5 billion baht submarine procurement of the Royal Thai Navy (RTN), concluding that is not unconstitutional.
He said a five-member committee tasked with investigating the matter concluded that the procurement was done in accordance to the national strategic defence policy and that the RTN proposed the procurement.
The RTN’s submarine proposal was written in the 2017 fiscal act and the cabinet approved the proposal on 25 October 2016 which was within 60 days after the fiscal budget comes to force. Therefore, it was proceeded in accordance to Article 23 of the 1959 Budget Procedures Act, added Raksagecha.
The OOT Secretary-General said the Council of State and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also concluded that the procurement contract was a commercial one similar to that between two private parties, which does not fall under Article 178 of the Constitution, which requires public hearings and consultation with parliament.
About two months earlier, Srisuwan Janya, Secretary-General of a political group called the Association to Protect the Thai Constitution (APTC), submitted a letter to the OOT urging it to use its authority under Article 231 of the new Constitution to ask the Constitutional Court to rule whether the 13.5 billion baht submarine contract is unconstitutional or not.
On the contrary to the finding of the OOT, Srisuwan stated the the procurement plan should have been approved by the cabinet between 1 Oct and 30 November 2016, but the RTN proposed it to the cabinet only on 18 April 2017, which was against the 1959 Budget Procedures Act.
Amid public criticism, on 24 January 2017, Adm Jumpol Lumpiganon, spokesman of the RTN, announced that the government of Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, the junta leader and Prime Minister, has approved the purchase of a submarine from China. The 13.5 billion baht purchase has been cleared by the junta-appointed National Legislative Assembly.
The delivery of the Yuan Class S-26T submarine is expected in six years.