The transfer, he said, was to pave the way for the probe, and initially there would be a fact-finding process.Pongniwat said a complaint had not been filed with the office over the issue, with action taken after Poramet's post came to light. He said that critically, Poramet's comments were picked up by the media. Poramet had made allegations against people, so the matter must be probed, he |added.The attorney-general declined to say how long the probe would take.Pranot Pongpaew, Inspector-General of the Office of the Attorney-General and head of the investigation, said the probe would take around 30 days and he would submit the findings to the attorney-general to decide whether a disciplinary investigation panel should be set up to handle the case.Pranot said that besides Poramet, he would invite a few other people at the Office of the Attorney-General to testify. The office insisted that Poramet's post was a private matter and it |had nothing to do with the matter.Meanwhile, the National Legislative Assembly yesterday voted to accept in principle the new anti-corruption bill proposed by the Cabinet. A scrutiny committee will be set up to go through the bill before the NLA deliberates on it in the second and third readings.The bill, if enacted, would result in the National Anti-Corruption Commission having its authority strengthened by allowing it to appoint investigators nationwide to help it find initial facts - a process aimed at reducing the agency's burden.

Source: The Nation Bangkok October 06, 2016 18:10 UTC