General Paiboon, in his capacity as chairman of CNAC, said information involving the project – planned to be located in Samut Prakan – from its inception would be gathered.

He added that information would also be sought from the National Anti-Corruption Commission.

The justice minister said yesterday that like other people, he wondered why the Criminal Court and the Administrative Court had made different rulings about the cases stemming from the project.

The Anti-Money Laundering Office on Wednesday froze the payment of Bt5.8 billion in compensation to NVPSKG, a consortium of private companies that built the unused Klong Dan plant, after a court ruled recently that the initial contract was null and void.

Paiboon said CNAC would conduct a fact-finding process and investigate the project before making any decision on pursuing legal aspects.

The Supreme Administrative Court earlier ordered the state to comply with an arbitration panel’s ruling in favour of the consortium, which won the controversial contract in 1997.

The Criminal Court last December sentenced three senior Pollution Control Department officials to 20 years in prison for malfeasance and dereliction of duty in the case.