Bangkok: Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanpraphat has addressed the resignation of Deputy Finance Minister Woraphat Thanyawong, emphasizing that the departure will not disrupt the operations of the Ministry of Finance. Ekniti commended Woraphat's decision to resign amidst allegations of his involvement with a scam network, stating that the ministry's work will proceed unaffected.
According to Thai News Agency, Ekniti highlighted that Woraphat's resignation was a personal decision intended to allow the investigation to proceed without the influence of his official position. Ekniti praised Woraphat's decision to step down voluntarily, emphasizing that Woraphat called him personally to express his wish to avoid leveraging his role during the investigation. Ekniti underscored the importance of a fair investigation into the matter.
In response to questions about Singaporean documents indicating Woraphat's transfer of cryptocurrencies to his wife, Ekniti reiterated his respect for Woraphat's choice to resign. Furthermore, he outlined plans for a task force aimed at tackling illegal financial activities. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is expected to approve the formation of this task force, which will investigate financial transactions linked to illegal businesses. The task force will include the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as part of its committee, under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister. The proposal for establishing the task force was discussed in a meeting last Monday.