Bangkok, Sept 25 (ZEENEWS.COM) Thailand's new military rulers may announce the country's interim Prime Minister this week, a spokesman said today, as the graft busters they appointed vowed to spare no one in a search to uncover alleged financial wrongdoing by ousted leader Thaksin Shinawatra and his associates.

"The name of the Prime Minister is expected to be announced late this week at the earliest," army spokesman Akara Thiproj said.

After seizing power Tuesday, the coup makers promised to name a civilian Prime Minister to head an interim government within two weeks.

Half a dozen highly regarded figures-including lawyers, technocrats and a UN agency chief-have been cited by the local press and diplomats as possible candidates for the job.

The appointment of a civilian leader may help stave off some of the sharp criticism by Western governments and human rights groups that followed Thailand's first military coup in 15 years.

The military ruling council also hopes to justify its action by exposing corruption, widely believed to be massive, under Thaksin's regime.

"Any cases that cause serious damage to the country, we will have to investigate urgently" said Parnthep Klanarongran, the new chief of the nine-member National Counter Corruption Commission, which faces a backlog of some 10,000 cases, including several potentially involving Thaksin. The commission is to hold its first meeting tomorrow.