The Digital Economy and Society (DES) Minister Chaichanok Chidchob said he had presented evidence to a House committee backing up his claim regarding an alleged 40-million-baht bribery case, while investigators said the probe should be concluded within 30 days.
The confirmation came as the DES minister was absent during a meeting with the House Committee on Telecommunications and Digital Affairs on Thursday, where he was set to clarify the claim he made.
The committee, as well as another committee on National Security, Border Affairs, National Strategy and National Reform, had summoned Mr Chaichanok to provide more details on a police complaint he filed on Oct 6.
It alleged that an unidentified group had offered him 40 million baht to suspend the crackdowns on call-centre gangs and illegal online gambling networks.
Mr Chaichanok affirmed that he had made a genuine allegation and that he wanted the probe to be carried out before he revealed further details.
Asked how many people were involved in the group that was trying to offer him the bribe, Mr Chaichanok said all sides should wait for the investigation results because “there should be more people involved as they will tell on one another”.
Mr Chaichanok said there had been many attempts to reach him, via various channels, but the group had not managed to reach him directly.
Many agencies are involved in solving the issue of call centres, he said, but he failed to confirm if the previous government had been offered or paid bribes to protect them.
Songkram Kitlertpairoj, once an adviser to former prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, said Mr Chaichanok’s absence raised questions about whether this government is serious in cracking down on scammers and online gambling.
“Mr Chaichanok may be concerned that his statement may affect anyone close to him, since he said that the person who contacted him was someone close to his political circle,” said Mr Songkram.
Pol Lt Gen Natthasak Chaowanasai, the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) commissioner, said the probe should see progress within the next 30 days.