More suspects sought in alleged Bt88m educational fund embezzlement case

By THE NATION

 

 

Official’s claim of sole responsibility is ‘unconvincing’ given scale of corruption

 

AUTHORITIES ARE following the money trail to determine if more people are involved in an alleged plot to embezzle Bt88 million from an educational fund over the past decade. 

 

The investigation is continuing as authorities suspect that high-ranking figures might be involved. 

 

Pol General Jarumporn Suramanee, a member of the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), said yesterday C8 official Rojana Sintee’s claim that she acted alone in the alleged corruption was “unconvincing”. 

 

“We have already nudged the Anti-Money Laundering Office to examine the financial flows. We will find out if persons of higher ranks are involved in this corruption case,” he said. “It’s unlikely that just one official could carry out the alleged large-scale embezzlement.” 

 

The PACC is investigating alleged irregularities in the Educational Fund for Life Development. 

 

After the alleged irregularities were detected, Rojana confessed that she alone took about Bt88 million from the fund. 

 

The investigation found that educational institutes would submit the names of children they believed were eligible for financial help from the fund. Rojana was in charge of compiling information for her supervisor to approve disbursement of the money.

 

During the process, she allegedly included the bank accounts of her relatives or people she knew, and, following approval, the money was transferred to the bank accounts of her friends and relatives.

 

Alleged irregularities started from at least 2009. 

 

According to Jarumporn, Rojana said she got all the money returned to her as she told her friends and relatives that the money was for her direct-sales business. 

 

“In the 2017 fiscal year, we found 22 ineligible bank accounts that received money from the fund. All these bank accounts were already closed,” Jarumporn said. 

 

These bank accounts, he added, took Bt12.8 million from the Bt23.7 million approved in that fiscal year. 

 

Established in 1999, the Educational Fund for Life Development had a start-up budget of more than Bt600 million to boost educational opportunities among underprivileged children. 

 

The fund 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 2009 and 2018, Rojana allegedly transferred about Bt88 million from the fund to bank accounts of people not qualified as fund recipients. The account owners were a combination of her relatives and other people she knew.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30341368

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-03-21

17 minutes ago, webfact said:

Pol General Jarumporn Suramanee, a member of the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), said yesterday C8 official Rojana Sintee’s claim that she acted alone in the alleged corruption was “unconvincing”. 

 

“We have already nudged the Anti-Money Laundering Office to examine the financial flows. We will find out if persons of higher ranks are involved in this corruption case,” he said. “It’s unlikely that just one official could carry out the alleged large-scale embezzlement.” 

I am pleased to see that the investigation is widening, but I have to ask why it took so long. The idea that one person acting alone could steal 88 million Baht over a period of years doesn't add up, especially if she was not the highest ranking person. Yes, there WERE 'higher-ups' involved.

 

What kind of controls does the Thai government have over the funds it disperses? Are those controls actually followed? I have some experience working with governments across Asia, and I can tell you that in normal circumstances, every last Baht should be accounted for; discovering who authorized funds/payments should be very easy.

 

Where are the auditors? The whole purpose of having auditors is to ensure that funds are spent both properly and wisely. If they were unable to catch a theft of 88 million Baht over a period of years, then they should lose their jobs if not be be sent to jail as well.

 

This scandal and the other scandal(s) stinks.

 

Hey Junta! You claimed that you stole power to clean things up. I can't blame you for starting this, but as you haven't fixed things, why are you still in power?

3 hours ago, webfact said:

“It’s unlikely that just one official could carry out the alleged large-scale embezzlement.” 

corruption is so endemic, prevalent and accepted here that you would have to triple the staffs of the PACC and NACC to attempt to cut into it; pity there is that, at that point, the seemingly toothless NACC would be staffed with people who themselves participated in corruption at some point in their lives; no win scenario 

30 minutes ago, YetAnother said:

corruption is so endemic, prevalent and accepted here that you would have to triple the staffs of the PACC and NACC to attempt to cut into it; pity there is that, at that point, the seemingly toothless NACC would be staffed with people who themselves participated in corruption at some point in their lives; no win scenario 

I very much share your negative view(s) on the NACC. If I had Article 44 (God forbid!), the first thing that I would do is disband the NACC and start over; it is already beyond repair due to the 'General Rolex' matter.

 

However, dealing with corruption in a society is very, very difficult and is frankly a generational matter. It is possible, difficult as hell, but possible. And I do believe that there is a general acceptance that the Thai people DO want some changes, even if they seem to want OTHER people to change.

 

Yes, perhaps you would have to triple the NACC staff as noted above. That said, a GREAT first step is to start 'throwing the book' at corrupt Thai State workers, be they bureaucrats, soldiers, police, etc. If people read and actually see Thai State Employees (from any/all sectors) ACTUALLY go to jail for many years, it will have an immediate effect. It won't change things instantly, but there will be effects instantly.

 

And then the hard slog begins...

 

PS I see that Streven100 has (as usual) given me the "confused" emoji.

 

My apologies Steven, but I am unable to 'Dumb Down" my posts to something that you can understand. But, I will keep trying.

 

have a nice day!

 

Edited March 21, 20188 yr by Samui Bodoh
Lack of coffee

9 minutes ago, Samui Bodoh said:

I very much share your negative view(s) on the NACC. If I had Article 44 (God forbid!), the first thing that I would do is disband the NACC and start over; it is already beyond repair due to the 'General Rolex' matter.

 

However, dealing with corruption in a society is very, very difficult and is frankly a generational matter. It is possible, difficult as hell, but possible. And I do believe that there is a general acceptance that the Thai people DO want some changes, even if they seem to want OTHER people to change.

 

Yes, perhaps you would have to triple the NACC staff as noted above. That said, a GREAT first step is to start 'throwing the book' at corrupt Thai State workers, be they bureaucrats, soldiers, police, etc. If people read and actually see Thai State Employees (from any/all sectors) ACTUALLY go to jail for many years, it will have an immediate effect. It won't change things instantly, but there will be effects instantly.

 

And then the hard slog begins...

agreed; many people perhaps never knew or conveniently forgot that there was a time in the USA that corruption was quite an issue ; sure it still exists in other and smaller forms but it Did take about a generation to make positive strides

34 minutes ago, YetAnother said:

corruption is so endemic, prevalent and accepted here that you would have to triple the staffs of the PACC and NACC to attempt to cut into it; pity there is that, at that point, the seemingly toothless NACC would be staffed with people who themselves participated in corruption at some point in their lives; no win scenario 

 

Yes the current government should be much more active on these matters but there is also a very strong case to ask why have government for the last 20 years, 10 years etc., have not taken action?

 

Their inaction has not only facilitated theft of money from the poor and kids at risk but also cements that corruption is OK, and encourages the thinking that there's a high probability that you won't get caught.

 

The overall current attitudes to corruption, to some extent also builds and emboldens by lack of action, produces attitudes like: 'Yes the village headman is corrupt but it's OK because his wife now has a BMW'.

 

Seems to me there's two choices:

 

- A government that does allocate the massive resources to finding all the corrupt people and get's them through the court process quickly and into jail for long periods with everything confiscated and a ban on any future employment in any government agency for life and banned for life from any involvement in local or national politics, with severe penalties.

 

- Or, Thailand sinks deeper and deeper and becomes a bankrupt state.

 

Thai people, it's your choice, you have to take action and you have to demand action, because the current government and the old political dinosaurs who could well regain power will do nothing. 

 

 

Edited March 21, 20188 yr by scorecard

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Rojana allegedly transferred about Bt88 million from the fund to bank accounts of people not qualified as fund recipients. The account owners were a combination of her relatives and other people she knew.

And let me guess, the people she knew and relatives thought it was all legit. I guess it's okay to receive large sums of cash as long as you don't scrutinise where it came from. 

 

Funny, when I tried to transfer a measly 100 pounds (4,400 baht) to the UK from here, they wanted proof of where the money came from. It was too much work to send. They said, and I quote, "We are very serious about stopping money laundering". Yet when I transferred over 200k in baht to my missus' account (she doesn't share my sir name) no questions were asked. In fact, I did it on an app on my phone in seconds. 

 

I wonder if the lady who stole these funds has looked in the mirror recently and thought, "My god. I'm an absolute piece of s***". No, I don't think so. The only thing she's sorry for is getting caught. 

Edited March 21, 20188 yr by rkidlad

You cannot stop corruption if you do no try.

 

continue!

This is going to get big.

As there is one thing you can depend on 100% in Thailand.

is people  just cant stop grassing each other up to save there own skins.

such honour and integrity.  

 

 

This is why a free press is important,to stop this being brushed under the carpet of evil.

5 hours ago, webfact said:

took Bt12.8 million from the Bt23.7 million

That's 50%! And no-one noticed for nine years!  None of her neighbours commented on her unusually rich life-style?  Time to confiscate her passport.

Welfare corruption and now this Employment Fund embezzlement. Not enough to cause an uproar by the junta PM to demand urgent answers from the ministers of the relevant ministries. No call for a shake-up and reform of the bureaucratic organisation from the coup leader who list eradicating corruption as the reason for the coup. That's problem when you tolerate corruption within your rank and morally bankrupt to curb corruption.   

To get a start on dealing with this epidemic, which would take a generation to sort out normally, even if there was a will to do so...why not create a 3 month amnesty for everyone confessing and returning mis appropriated funds even on the never never.

Perhaps with only those at the top of the chain of abuse being prosecuted.

After 3 Months then minimum 10 years in jail as abusers have had their chance and turned it down.

At least all the scams would become public and the auditors might be better placed to do their job in future.

1 hour ago, gavlar said:

To get a start on dealing with this epidemic, which would take a generation to sort out normally, even if there was a will to do so...why not create a 3 month amnesty for everyone confessing and returning mis appropriated funds even on the never never.

Perhaps with only those at the top of the chain of abuse being prosecuted.

After 3 Months then minimum 10 years in jail as abusers have had their chance and turned it down.

At least all the scams would become public and the auditors might be better placed to do their job in future.

The best system is: 3 months amnesty with restitution followed by a new law that if you have been involved with bribery, offer or reciever the one who confesses makes restitution and lose their job but no other penalty THE OTHER party gets to repay DOUBLE THE AMOUNT and mandatory ten years no parole. 

No statute of limitations and trial in absentia. 

Follow the money, just not all the way to Bangkok.

 

Hard to figure out how the responsible Ministers allowed such unprecedented levels of corruption to go on during their watch. I'm sure all these retired Generals currently heading the relevant ministries (Interior, education, health, etc.) will step up, acknowledge their negligence and mismanagement, accept responsibility, make reparations by having their assets seized...

 

Just kidding.

 

 

A post containing offensive language has been removed.