Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has granted the Centre for National Anti-Corruption (CNAC) permission to re-investigate a number of state officials recently cleared of allegations of involvement in two cases.
The move comes in response to growing concerns over the results of previous investigations conducted by state agencies against their own officials over their alleged involvement in the cases.
One case involved a shrimp trader in Samut Sakhon and the other concerned the Nataree massage parlour in Bangkok.
Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya said yesterday he was forming a committee to re-investigate the two cases and cross-check the results with those from the original state agency probes that found their officials innocent, allowing them to be reinstated.
If the new investigation finds discrepancies in the original probes such as evidence and witnesses statements not corresponding, then the officials in charge of the previous investigations will be held accountable, Gen Paiboon said.
He said he needed to clarify with Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam whether the accused officials found innocent in the original probes would be removed from their posts if the fresh investigation by his panel finds that they were involved in human trafficking.
The directive to re-investigate came from Gen Prayut in his capacity as National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) chief through order No.47/2559. The order was published in the Royal Gazette on Thursday.
The order said new complaints were recently filed against the Samut Sakhon provincial governor, public prosecutors and police officials as well as several other state officials after they were reinstated after being found innocent in previous investigations into their alleged involvement in the two human trafficking cases.
They were temporarily transferred from their posts while the investigations were being carried out. The CNAC committee, of three to five members, is tasked with examining the previous investigation results and compare them with evidence and witness statements.
The panel can call anyone connected with cases in for questioning and has 30 days to complete its investigation. The accused officials have the right to appeal if the results of the new probe go against them, the NCPO order said.