Paetongtarn denies disguising assets as a 4.4 billion baht debt
The prime minister also dismissed concerns about a complaint filed against her husband about a 12.77 million baht loan to a company
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Monday denied allegations that she falsified her assets statement to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) by wrongly claiming she owed 4.4 billion to close family members.
Speaking to reporters at Government House on Monday, Paetongtarn clarified that she had provided detailed information about her assets to the NACC and did not engage in any deception.
“It’s a debt between me and my relatives. I hereby confirm that no law was broken and I have submitted all the details to the NACC, so how could I hide any legal transactions? I also have promissory notes for the debt,” Paetongtarn said.
In the assets statement she submitted to the NACC upon taking office as prime minister, Paetongtarn reported that she and her husband had assets worth 13.99 billion baht and debts totalling 4.41 billion baht.
On Friday, the Isra News Agency published a report suggesting that Paetongtarn might have falsified her assets statement to conceal an income of 4.4 billion baht in a bid to avoid paying taxes.
Isra noted that Paetongtarn claimed in her assets statement that she had issued promissory notes to her mother, Khunying Potjaman Na Pombejra, and her siblings, to buy shares worth 4.4 billion baht from them.
Isra pointed out that the promissory notes lacked payment terms, suggesting that Paetongtarn had no real intention of repaying the debt for share purchases from nine companies.
The promissory note also lacked details on how much the shares were worth when procured.
Isra alleged that this could indicate that Paetongtarn had received 4.4 billion baht worth of shares from family members, which should have been included in her income for tax calculation, potentially resulting in significant tax obligations.
When asked if she was concerned that this issue might lead to trouble like her father, former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, who was once accused of using nominees to hold shares, Paetongtarn dismissed the comparison, saying she had not broken any laws.
Paetongtarn also expressed no concerns over a complaint filed by the serial petitioner Ruangkrai Leekitwattana against her husband, Pitaka Suksawat.
On Monday, Ruangkrai announced that he had mailed a complaint to the NACC, requesting an investigation into the 12.77 million baht loan Pitaka gave to Winn Capital Co Ltd between 2021 and 2024. Ruangkrai questioned whether Pitaka had failed to report shares or directorial positions in the company. He said Winn Capital had reported to the Business Development Department that it had borrowed 12.77 million baht from a director.
Paetongtarn dismissed the complaint, alleging that Ruangkrai had tried to extort money from her in exchange for not raising the issue with the NACC.
