Senior education official confesses to stealing Bt88m from funds for at-risk children

By THE NATION

 

 

A SENIOR education official has confessed that she embezzled Bt88 million from a state fund for underprivileged children, particularly those at risk of being lured into the sex trade.

 

The embezzled amount is even greater than the money that had been paid to the intended recipients, which stood at a little over Bt77 million. 

 

“She is now a C8-level official. We suspect that she must have had accomplices,” Education Minister Teerakiat Jareonsettasin said yesterday, without revealing the woman’s name.

 

He has transferred five education officials involved in the fund’s reimbursements to pave the way for a full investigation. The internal-control unit of the Education Ministry uncovered irregularities in the reimbursements by the fund last week.

 

 

Teerakiat said he had ordered his ministry’s permanent secretary, Karun Sakulpradit, to file a complaint with the police, the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the Office of Public-Sector Anti-Corruption Commissioner against the woman who has confessed to the embezzlement. 

“We have also alerted the Anti-Money Laundering Office to have her ill-gotten gains frozen. The recipients of such ill-gotten gains will face legal action too,” he added. 

 

Over the past decade, the woman had been in charge of implementing an educational fund for life development, which was established in 1999 during the Chuan Leekpai government. The fund had a start-up budget of more than Bt600 million in the hope of boosting educational opportunities among underprivileged children. The fund, at its inception, had placed an emphasis on girls in the North as many of them were considered at risk of being lured into prostitution. The start-up funds came from the Government Lottery Office. 

 

Between 2008 and 2018, the suspect allegedly transferred Bt88 million from the fund to 19 bank accounts of people not qualified as fund recipients. The account owners were a combination of her relatives and people she knew. This year, she allegedly transferred more than Bt3 million to their bank accounts without transferring any money to deserving recipients. Karun said that last year, just Bt825,000 went to the fund’s intended recipients and up to Bt12.8 million to those who had no right to the money. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30340612

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-03-10

 

Evil and beyond contempt. Lock them all up, and liquidate all their assets, down to the last flip flop.

I'm not surprised at an official stealing money, as it seems they nearly all do it to some degree. However the magnitude of this theft plus that it went on for 10 years is somewhat staggering. Has this country ever heard of auditing?

Yet even more disgusting theft by government officials of funds meant for the poor; I sincerely hope this woman rots in hell forever.

 

However;

 

4 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Teerakiat said he had ordered his ministry’s permanent secretary, Karun Sakulpradit, to file a complaint with the police, the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the Office of Public-Sector Anti-Corruption Commissioner against the woman who has confessed to the embezzlement. 

 

Why does this Permanent Secretary still have their job? If their function was to run/oversee the Ministry, clearly they have failed. Further, What actions are being contemplated against the NACC and the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commissioner? What action is being taken against the Auditors? If this has gone on for several years, why was it not caught earlier? Finally, why does the Minister still have a job? The role of a Cabinet Minister is to take political responsibility for his Ministry. Why has he not resigned?

 

Until people begin to accept/take responsibility for crap like this, it'll never stop.

 

At least this is being reported. 

 

In English too.

4 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

I'm not surprised at an official stealing money, as it seems they nearly all do it to some degree. However the magnitude of this theft plus that it went on for 10 years is somewhat staggering. Has this country ever heard of auditing?

The answer to your last question is obviously NO. I suspect that even if there were auditors they would be as crooked as the rorters themselves and if they found anything irregular they would want to be in on it as well. Such is the Thai civil service.

Pity some civil servants are are not as efficient at doing their jobs as they are at scamming public funds. I speak generally of some senior personal who seem to have the greater opportunity to defraud. I know there are some bad eggs but I am sure there a lot of good people in the service.

In Thailand, you emmbazzle small or big, your punishment is the same, transfer to inactive post

until the heat die down and people forget and life goes on, do we ever hear what has become

of all of the thousands of officials that have been transferred to inactive post? No, never....

 

36 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

A SENIOR education official has confessed that she embezzled Bt88 million from a state fund for underprivileged children, particularly those at risk of being lured into the sex trade.

well, it's a start, we get hints of who and how; seems, thais being thais, that Whenever money flows,corruption follows; o i'm sorry, they call it 'business'

What is significant is there arent enough checks and balances to prevent this fraud! Developed countries have a system whereby there would need scores of coherts to be complicit for such fraud to even begin!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

 

The corruption virus, free and running rampant through all forms of government and officialdom. No cure appears to be forthcoming.

1 hour ago, darksidedog said:

Has this country ever heard of auditing?

They shoot auditors don't they?

 

(With apologies to Racing Cars)

 

https://www.smh.com.au/world/thailand-reverses-death-sentences-for-two-men-who-murdered-australian-michael-wansley-20150225-13oy7r.html

Edited March 10, 20188 yr by nahkit
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Checks and balances, ? any Government agencies that disperse

money should be checked,as they will all be at it,for a half decent

accountant it should be easy to find corruption,finding some that

could not be corrupted themselves would be the difficult part.that

is to the shame of Thailand.

regards Worgeordie

She exceeded the “one for me, one for you” rule of embezzlement.

Jail for all life!

"Has this country ever heard of auditing? "

In my experience with condo management, there is no proper control or monitoring of accounts, and audits are best described as a complete joke. I dont see why it should be any different in government departments. The word "management" does not appear to translate into Thai at all, and there is certainly no work ethic here that would make people inclined to check things just for the pleasure of being sure that they are correct. Laziness and faith in karma rule the day.

Stealing from some of the most vulnerable people in society- what a scumbag she is.

There is no shame in Thailand other than 'losing face'.   When they are in a situation of power and handling money all ethics go out of the window.

 

Greed, the real THAINESS !!

shamlessness on steroids....absolutely disgusting...

why has this headline disapeaed from the forum header page,posted only 3 hours ago

 

Is there any branch of Thai society that is immune from such corruption?  Chinese justice would kill and cure this greed.

4 hours ago, Lungstib said:

The corruption virus, free and running rampant through all forms of government and officialdom. No cure appears to be forthcoming.

 

There is actually a simple, effective cure for corruption available.

 

The problem is there are no persons of any colour shirt or hat with the courage and the sphericals to dispense it.

 

It would mean NO inactive posts, no slapped hands, wais or time in the temple.

 

It really needs the top ten people in the military, police, civil service and politicians, both former and current, to be permanently removed. The next 10 promoted and be given 2 weeks to stop the rot, failing which the next 10 will be selected etc.

 

It shouldn't take that long and it may clear the country of an overfilled heirachy of overpaid "retired' governmet officials as well.

Name withheld.

 

Says it all really.

And folk post here, " Why don't you learn to speak Thai and the Thai culture"..

 

I say "Because I don't want too", this thread is about Thai culture and the reason for my reply..

6 hours ago, Jeremy50 said:

Evil and beyond contempt. Lock them all up, and liquidate all their assets, down to the last flip flop.

Agreed --- put them in with the fathers of these girls

Jail is to lenient... 

7 hours ago, darksidedog said:

I'm not surprised at an official stealing money, as it seems they nearly all do it to some degree. However the magnitude of this theft plus that it went on for 10 years is somewhat staggering. Has this country ever heard of auditing?

I tried to find out more about this habit and went to the website "Honest Thai Official" but it is under construction - for more than 10 years already.

7 hours ago, darksidedog said:

Has this country ever heard of auditing?

This is what Thai auditing looks like.....

 

An off topic post about Singapore has been removed. 

Show us a photo of this nameless scumbag!

It really is the lowest of the low! People earning thousands stealing from the most destitute in the country. It is almost impossible to understand. I really hope something seriously bad happens to them. They are below contempt.