Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan has been removed from Thailand’s National Anti-Corruption Committee, and junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha wants you to know that the luxury wristwatch scandal has nothing to do with that fact. At all. No, really.
Yesterday, the junta announced the newest lineup for the 17-member National Anti-Corruption Committee, and the junta’s No. 2 was noticeably missing.
Media naturally wondered — could this have something to do with Prawit’s unusual wealth that became public knowledge earlier this year? That’s a natural thing to guess, no?
But today, Prayuth spoke to reporters after attending the opening ceremony of the CLMVT Forum 2018 at a Bangkok hotel, and told the media to drop it.
“It’s not about that [the wristwatch scandal]. I’m not interested. Whoever is responsible on the investigation is doing their job. I won’t intervene,” he said to reporters, adding that Prawit was just too darn busy to oversee an anti-corruption body.
“He [Prawit] is responsible for over 50 committees. So he needed to hand over some of the workload. So the committees can have frequent meetings. Now Prawit has to attend many meetings. Don’t start a conflict.”
Prawit’s timepieces came under public scrutiny in December after he was photographed sporting a diamond-encrusted Richard Mille watch costing between THB4-10 million, which was never declared in his assets upon taking the office.
Also not declared, the 22 other luxury watches he was spotted wearing since. In total, they have an estimated value of more than THB20 million.
While the investigation by National Anti-Corruption Commission has yet to be concluded — that’s right, the body he just exited — Prawit previously told the public that he borrowed all the watches from a rich friend who had already died.
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DPM Prawit says he borrowed luxury timepieces from rich dead friend who liked wristwatches
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