Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Friday that he was not under any pressure to set up an inquiry panel to investigate allegations involving a controversial Social Security Office (SSO) building purchase.
He said the panel was formed at the request of Labour Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn to probe allegations — made by Rukchanok Srinork, a People's Party MP for Bangkok — that the SSO spent 7 billion baht to purchase the SKYY9 Centre on Rama IX Road when its claimed appraisal price was 3 billion baht.
"We follow regulations. We do it not because we are under pressure," said Mr Anutin, who also serves as a deputy prime minister.
The purchase occurred when the current permanent secretary for labour, Boonsong Thapchaiyut, previously served as the secretary-general of the SSO.
Mr Anutin previously said that when the permanent secretary for labour is being investigated, the official who leads the investigation must hold the same rank to ensure a smooth probe.
On Tuesday, the SSO's current secretary-general, Marasri Jairangsee, said the SSO invested in buying the building via the Private Equity Trust, an investment vehicle under the Trust for Transactions in the Capital Market Act, regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
She said two independent estimators certified by the SEC estimated the price of the building. Both estimators gave figures above 7 billion baht.