The National Anti-Corruption Commission expects to file charges against former Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Juthamas Siriwan in November after it receives information from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Medhi Krongkaew, a commissioner and chairman of the subcommittee investigating the corruption allegations, yesterday said besides Juthamas, "a few more" TAT officials were involved and that they would be summoned for interrogation.
The NACC is working with the Office of the Attorney-General to obtain FBI information on the two Los Angeles, California executives convicted of bribing TAT officials for the rights to host the Bangkok International Film Festival (BIFF).
"The case will proceed more quickly with that information," he said.
The US Justice Department said Gerald and Patricia Green had transferred a total of US$1.8 million (Bt60.81 million) to the officials.
Medhi said that initially, the NACC learned of 50-60 transfers to accounts in Singapore, Spain and Switzerland from 2003-07. It has so far obtained details of the transfers to the Singaporean account but must still learn the purpose for each transfer.
A TAT source said all documentation at the agency regarding the BIFF disappeared from a storage room soon after the Department of Special Investigation first launched its investigation early last year.
"This case is causing the TAT to have a bad reputation," said the source.
The NACC has not named any other officials besides Juthamas who may have been involved. Pensuda Praiaram, acting governor of the TAT and deputy governor for administration, yesterday denied she had been involved. She fears she could be named because of her position.
"I was surprised to learn I might be linked to this case, and yet I'm not the one who held the festival," she said.
The NACC earlier investigated Pensuda over alleged unfairness by the TAT in appointing new executives.
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