Welfare corruption probe to begin at top ministerial levels

[webfact]

Welfare corruption probe to begin at top ministerial levels

By THE NATION

 

File photo

 

THE NATIONAL Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) office on public sector corruption has been assigned to investigate each step of the budget allocation process for provincial protection centres for the destitute involved in the recent corruption scandal, NACC commissioner Pol General Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit said yesterday.

 

The investigation will start at the ministerial level and examine department executives and continue down the chain to welfare distribution. 

 

The move followed an announcement by the Public Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) this week that an investigation of 76 provincial protection centres had found alleged graft at 44 centres, while the remaining 32 centres were scheduled to be probed ahead of a May 31 deadline. 

 

Both the PACC and NACC are responsible for corruption investigations, with the NACC responsible for high-ranking officials at the level of division director or above and the PACC for lower-ranking ones.

 

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam referred to Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha’s previous call for the PACC to investigate the budgets of all ministries, saying the commission was fully authorised to conduct the review and did not need any additional help. 

 

Prayut had made the comment following the discoveries of alleged corruption in the welfare scheme and the Sema Pattana Chevit Fund for underprivileged children. 

 

Wissanu said further action would be taken if the PACC detected irregularities.

 

Meanwhile, the permanent secretary for education, Karun Sakulpradit, said that he had already ordered internal audits of the various fund and the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) would today meet him to collect information about the Sema fund and its budget allocations. 

 

He added that the AMLO would also seize the assets of 22 people against whom the ministry had filed a police complaint at Bangkok’s Dusit Police Station on Tuesday for abetting embezzlement from the Sema fund over the past 10 years. The suspect’s bank accounts have already been frozen. 

 

Karun also said a disciplinary probe against an unnamed C8-level official who had confessed to embezzling Bt88 million from the fund was ongoing and would lead to her dismissal from the civil service, possibly without her pension, because she had already submitted her confession to her supervisor. 

 

The 22 suspects were mostly relatives of official, he said, while four other officials were facing investigations linked to the case.

 

The ministry will also gather information on the damages to Sema scholarship recipients, most of whom are students at from Rajaprajanukroh and Suksa Songkhro schools and the 31 Boromarajonnani College of Nursing. Fifty-three contract teachers were also affected in fiscal year 2017 because their payroll came from the fund.

 

Karun said remedial measures would be taken. 

 

The investigation would take time as the alleged embezzlement had taken place over 10 years, he said adding that the case was only detected in 2017 because of the ministry’s random checks. 

 

Meanwhile, Narong Sirimuang, director of Kanchanaburi’s Somdet Phrapiya Maharat Maneeyakhet School, said money from the fund used to hire contract teachers was often delivered late, adding that the problem was common among other schools as well. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30340933

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-03-15

[Samui Bodoh]

26 minutes ago, webfact said:

THE NATIONAL Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) office on public sector corruption has been assigned to investigate each step of the budget allocation process for provincial protection centres for the destitute involved in the recent corruption scandal, NACC commissioner Pol General Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit said yesterday.

"IF".

 

If I had any confidence in the NACC, I would consider this a good thing. I find it incredible that there was so much corruption spread over such a large number of offices. To me, the only way that would be possible is if there were a central coordination mechanism centered at the head office. And I find it incredible to believe that such a mechanism could exist without the knowledge and consent of the highest bosses, including the Minister.

 

If the NACC had the credibility, I think we would see ministers go to jail.

 

"IF".

[darksidedog]

39 minutes ago, webfact said:

The move followed an announcement by the Public Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) this week that an investigation of 76 provincial protection centres had found alleged graft at 44 centres, while the remaining 32 centres were scheduled to be probed ahead of a May 31 deadline. 

So that is alleged graft at 44 of those 44 checked so far, meaning we can probably expect the same from at least most of the remaining 32, with 88 Million already confirmed stolen from just one!

Stealing from destitute children nationwide shows the depth of depravity and unadulterated greed that is hidden deep at the base level of Thai society. Buddha and his principles appear to be utterly ignored, with officials, sadly, seeing any opportunity to line their own pockets as their natural and divine right.

I do not profess to have the answer to this disgusting problem. Maybe the Chinese have it right. When found guilty of such heinous acts, execution, seize the assets and send the bill for the execution to the family.

What I do know is this appalling shit cannot be tolerated and those found guilty of such MUST be punished so harshly, that none will ever dare to even think of doing it again.

This is a very sad thing for any country to find happening.

[PatOngo]

Pure grubs, absolutely no resistance to temptation!

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

Stealing from the poor! a morally corrupt country is what Thailand is.

[colinneil]

Corruption probe to begin at top ministerial level.

Somehow i dont think so, the higher up the chain, the bigger the corruption.

Even ole fatty is at it, watch this space for further developments.

[mok199]

with this depth of ''probe'' their going to need a good lubricant...Disfunctional Thailand

Edited March 14, 2018 by mok199
speliing

[tracker1]

Didn't the corruption involve top ministers ? makes one wonder how far this will go maybe a few fall guys and all is well as per usual

[YetAnother]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The move followed an announcement by the Public Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) this week that an investigation of 76 provincial protection centres had found alleged graft at 44 centres, while the remaining 32 centres were scheduled to be probed

amazing, Every Single one they looked at failed the test, Every One

[Ossy]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The investigation will start at the ministerial level

Don't you people understand? . . . it's tough at the top.

[overherebc]

So the idea of an 88 Million Baht sacrificial lamb didn't make it all go away.

[RichardColeman]

The corrupt investigating the corrupt !

[rosst]

Starting at the top and push responsibility down until they cannot afford to be declared innocent.