THE National Anti-Corruption Commission has found new evidence to back the criminal case against former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom, who is accused of facilitating fake government-to-government deals during the previous government’s rice-pledging scheme.

Meanwhile, former premier Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday attended the Supreme Court’s eighth hearing of a case in which she was charged with negligence in connection with the scheme.

Yingluck also faces a separate civil liability lawsuit for allegedly causing more than Bt280 billion in damages to the state due to the scheme’s heavy losses. The NACC alleged Boonsong and the former director-general of the Department of Foreign Trade, Pranee Siriphun, granted approval for G-to-G rice deals with four Chinese firms which had no authority to act on behalf of the Chinese government to buy rice from Thailand.

The firms were Haikou Liangmao Cereals and Oils Trading, Haikou Liangyunlai Cereals and Oils Trading, the Hainan Province Land Reclamation Industrial Development and Construction General Corporation, and the Hainan land Reclamation Commerce and Trade Group.

All four were not authorised by China’s state agency responsible for signing G-to-G deals with foreign countries so the contracts were not genuine, the NACC alleged.

In addition, the NACC alleged that no money was transferred into Thailand to buy the rice from the Thai government since all 46 cheques – worth a combined Bt1.87 billion and issued to the Thai government to pay for the rice – originated in Thailand, with Siam Indiga Co among the sources of funds.

The cheques are key evidence in the case to try and prove that the G-to-G rice deals used by the previous government to back its claim to have sold rice out of the state inventory following the massive pledging scheme were fake.

Overall, the rice-pledging scheme caused more than Bt500 billion in state losses.

The NACC will also follow up on a further investigation into other firms and individuals believed to be involved with the alleged fake G-to-G rice deals.

Meanwhile, Jirachai Moontho-ngroi, deputy permanent secretary for the PM’s Office, yesterday testified before the Supreme Court that a government committee on civil liability in the rice-pledging scheme had found that former premier Yingluck was responsible for more than Bt280 billion in damage caused by the scheme.

Jirachai was called as a state witness against Yingluck.

He told the Supreme Court that he was a former chairman of a state committee in charge of inspecting the then government’s rice inventory. He was cross-examined by the defendant’s lawyer.