NACC discloses assets of Yingluck 5 Cabinet

BANGKOK, August 27 (TNA) - Thailand's National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has reported assets and liabilities of the Yingluck 5 Cabinet. According to the asset declarations posted by the NACC, Prime Minister and Defence Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is the richest individual in the incumbent Thai Cabinet with a net asset of 627.40 million baht. Deputy Prime Minister Pongthep Thepkanchana and his wife are the richest couple in the Thai Cabinet with a net asset of 3.09 billion baht, while Deputy Transport Minister Pong Chewananth has the smallest asset of 1.6 million baht. For the change of her Cabinet line-up on June 30, 2013, Yingluck declared her assets worth 627.40 million baht, her spouse’s assets worth 76.61 million baht and her immature son’s assets worth 1.25 million baht. The assets of Yingluck and her son, thus, amounted to 628.66 million baht and their debts stood at 27 million baht. Therefore, their net asset was 601.66 million baht, excluding the assets and liabilities of her unregistered spouse. Pongthep had assets worth 341.17 million baht and was debt-free. His spouse had assets worth 2.74 billion baht and a debt of 10.1 baht from a credit card account. They, thus, had net assets worth 3.09 billion baht, being the richest couple in the Yingluck 5 cabinet line-up. Pong had assets worth 1.61 million baht and a debt of 52,967 baht. His spouse had assets worth 16.26 million baht and debts of 6.83 million baht. Both had net asset worth 10.98 million baht and were the couple with the smallest amount of assets in the Thai Cabinet. Officials at the NACC’s bureau of asset inspection in the political sector acknowledged, however, that some Cabinet members concealed their assets by registering divorces or cohabiting and transferring assets to their unregistered spouses. By this means, they can avoid some asset declarations and the NACC has no authority to examine such assets. (TNA)