The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has confirmed it has made a fourth request for Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon to provide an explanation over the luxury watch scandal.
NACC secretary-general, Worawit Sukboon, said he earlier this week signed a letter requesting Gen Prawit to provide details by the end of this month on the 25 luxury watches seen worn by him on various occasions in pictures circulated on social media.
The fourth letter was required because the NACC did not receive sufficient information from Gen Prawit after sending him the previous three letters requesting an explanation about the watches in relation to his latest assets declaration, Mr Worawit said.
He said he could not say at this point whether the NACC will again agree to any new request by Gen Prawit to extend the deadline imposed on him to submit his explanation and information about the 25 watches.
The NACC will have to see what reasons Gen Prawit gives to support any new request to have the deadline postponed again, Mr Worawit said.
The deadline saga for Gen Prawit to explain his luxury watches to the NACC started on Jan 8. The NACC asked him to submit more information by Jan 18.
When Gen Prawit was later supposed to submit a clarification by Feb 16, he asked for permission to postpone the deadline to March 2.
Regarding the first four witnesses the NACC have already invited in for questioning regarding the luxury watches, Mr Worawit said questioning of the four went smoothly.
He said two more witnesses will be invited in next week for similar questioning.
All of the witnesses are involved somehow with the 25 luxury watches, he said.
If the NACC finds there are more people involved, they will be invited to give evidence, he said.
Asked whether the NACC is attempting to stall the investigation into the scandal by sending so many requests for information and explanations from Gen Prawit, Mr Worawit insisted the NACC isn't trying to delay the probe. He said all of the information was being recorded in the inquiry.
Since the investigation now involves several more watches, the NACC requires more time to gather evidence, he said.
When asked if Gen Prawit clearly said in previous explanations that all the watches he was pictured with belonged to his friends, Mr Worawit declined to comment.
