BBC property seized to state

BANGKOK, September 20 (TNA) - Thailand's Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) is seeking the court's orders for the confiscation of 25-million-baht property of now-defunct Bangkok Bank of Commerce (BBC) and the protection of deceived rice farmers' rights. AMLO Secretary-General Police Colonel Seehanat Prayoonrat told journalists on Friday that the AMLO's transaction committee has assigned him to ask a court to confiscate 61 land plots, totally worth about 25 million baht, involved in a fraudulent loan the former BBC management had extended to City Trading Corporation Corp. to the state, after his office earlier seized the property for investigation. Police Colonel Seehanat confirmed that the AMLO will also speed up tracing and seizing assets, worth 2-3 billion baht, in Britain and Switzerland which were connected to BBC's fraudulent cases. The AMLO chief revealed that his office earlier seized assets, worth 4 million US dollars, in Switzerland and the movement does not have to wait for a court ruling because damage to the BBC is evident, but the seizure will take legal effect for no longer than 90 days pending a probe, noting that some assets have even changed hands. According to the AMLO's chief, the committee also resolved at its recent meeting to protect the rights of local rice farmers in Phichit province in the Lower Thai North who were earlier cheated in the government's rice pledging scheme until a court rules on the case. The rice of the cheated farmers, amounting about 1,120 tonnes worth 13 million baht, was found at the warehouse of L-Gold Manufacture Co. (TNA)