Distat Hotrakitya said the Cabinet had thoroughly discussed the proposal by Finance Minister Apisak Tantivorawong that Article 44 of the interim charter should be enforced to drop charges against bribers willing to give details of officials on the take.

While Cabinet would like to see such an approach being more effective, it did not endorse it nor assign the council to look into possible legal aspects, he added.

The issue emerged after Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said he had instructed the Finance Ministry to come up with measures such as legal amendments to get cooperation from people who may have succumbed to pressure for bribes from state officials.

Under current anti-corruption laws, bribers and those receiving bribes face criminal prosecution, undermining any cooperation they might give to the state, he said.

Prayut raised the possibility of having more flexibility by charging people who pay bribes with only civil lawsuits, as some countries do, so the state can benefit from their help. He cited his special power under Article 44 of the Interim Charter to press the idea.

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) said it would also consider the proposal in its meeting next week.

To consider the possibility of such a waiver, Distat said it needs to be backed up with a certain degree of facts and legal grounds, and that concerned agencies were still working on this.

He said existing approaches against bribery were effective but may need to be improved.

“We must have confidence in our system. If it’s very poor, we will then look into our flaws and fix them,” |said Distat.