NACC resolves to charge Suthep over police station project

By The Nation

 

Former MP Suthep Thaugsuban (left) , Pol General Pateep Tanprasert (right)

 

The National Anti-Corruption Commission resolved on Monday to officially charge former deputy prime minister Suthep Thaugsuban and former acting national police chief Pol Gen Pateep Tanprasert in the Bt5.8 billion new police station project.

 

The NACC said it was determined to charge Suthep, Pateep and members of the police committee in charge of approving the project and bring them to the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Office.

 

Suthep, Pateep and members of the police panel were accused of violating the law through bidding collusion.

 

The project aimed to build 396 new police stations nationwide. The winner of the project was later found to have abandoned the project, causing police at many stations to have no premises from which to work. The opposition then attacked Suthep over the scandalous project that made headlines, prompting the NACC to conduct an investigation.

 

The NACC set up a subcommittee with nine members to investigate the case and the subpanel submitted its report to the NACC to consider, leading to the Commission’s decision to iindict Suthep, the former police chief and the panel in charge of approving the project.

 

Suthep is now a leading member of the Action Coalition for Thailand Party, whose leader Chatu Mongol Sonakul is the labour minister in the current government.

 

Earlier, the NACC announced that the accused were made up of two groups. 

 

In the first group, Suthep is accused of violating the anti-collusion act of B.E. 2542 in the project to build 396 police stations nationwide by giving the contract to a contractor and cancelling the earlier method of granting multiple contracts based on region. It was his approval of the merger of regional contracts into one national project that has led to his facing the collusion charge and benefitting the bid winner.

 

Pateep and members the police committee was charged with abusing authority related to the project to build police stations for the Provincial Police Bureaus 1 to 9 and for the southern provinces’ border patrol police command.

 

Suthep has testified to the subcommittee of the NACC three times, protesting his innocence on each occasion.

 

In this third appearance before the subcommittee, Suthep said he had nothing to do with the failure on the part of the project winner to complete the construction on schedule.

 

Suthep also insisted that he had nothing to do with the drafting of the contract and the change of the bidding method because the signing of the contract complied with the regulations of the PM’s Office on hiring a private firm. Suthep said the contractor must be held responsible for the construction delay, not him.

 

Suthep explained to the NACC that he approved the merger of multiple contracts in line with a proposal put forward by Pateep.

He explained that he initially approved multiple projects based on nine police provincial bureaus as proposed by then national police chief Pol Gen Phatcharawat Wongsuwan.

 

But when Pateep became acting national police chief, Pateep proposed the merger of the contracts into one on grounds that the 2010 budget act stated that contract signing of one project must be carried out as one contract. As a result, Suthep explained, the multiple contracts were changed into one in accordance with the budget spending regulations of the 2010 act.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30373452

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2019-07-23

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I'm pretty sure it was Thaksin's fault!

Determined to charge, what a crock of s++t, i am determined to walk again, but that will never happen.

Easy to talk, action speaks louder than words, action is needed NOW.

Charged, first court hearing about 2029.

 

Quickly, Suthep, odain! I am sure they still keep your robe ready in a temple closet somewhere from last time because they anticipated that you'd desperately need it once more sooner or later.

 

Quote

 

Abhisit, Suthep broke law in bids: DSI

Mar 05. 2013

By Piyanut Tumnukasetchai
The Nation

 

Police station case given to NACC; findings due soon on precincts

 

 

Soon????

 

 

https://www.nationthailand.com/national/30201333

It seems the commissions were to high for the contractor, time to get out !, Someone please tell me there was no more then the standard 10/20 % corruption involved financially

 

The NACC was super efficient to take Yingluck to court in a relative short time while this case since 2542 sat in the file.  

couldnt happen to a more deserving person, massive fines/seizures and jail time would be good

And to think this scum of a man was who Prayut used to face the anti corruption protest to topple yingluck .

Can't believe anyone backed mr dum dum suthep, was unbelievable this vile king of corruption could stand in silom and talk for weeks on ending corruption .

Too much vile greed at the top and probably worse know and certainly no better than previous governments .

4 hours ago, webfact said:

protesting his innocence

Is that english for admitting guilt? 

Would the former head of dsi tarit be freed from 1 year prison sentence given to him in december for defaming suthep in exactly this corruption case?

and would the king give back to tarit all the titles and honours, which he withdrawn just a week ago?

Charging times may vary.

Dependant on the "item" to be charged.

"Items" that hold a lot of power, will obviously take longer to charge than those that have little power.

 

Eg. Picking mushrooms, over Bt5.8 billion graft.

We all know how it will end up. No surprise expected.

3 minutes ago, BigBadGeordie said:

Charging times may vary.

Dependant on the "item" to be charged.

"Items" that hold a lot of power, will obviously take longer to charge than those that have little power.

 

Eg. Picking mushrooms, over Bt5.8 billion graft.

Good observation and depends on the resistance that has to be overcome to bring about the charge. 

5 minutes ago, Artisi said:

Good observation and depends on the resistance that has to be overcome to bring about the charge. 

Ohm not sure about that.

11 minutes ago, BigBadGeordie said:

Ohm not sure about that.

Watt do you mean, if the connection is correct the charge could be minimal. 

So this must be where he got the funds for his Private Wealth Account at a major Swiss bank. 

I'm not defending Suthep but this case goes WAY back in the past and the article doesn't mention any timeline. Why in this country do they so often wait so many years before deciding to bring action on some cases?

15 hours ago, BuckBee said:

And to think this scum of a man was who Prayut used to face the anti corruption protest to topple yingluck .

Can't believe anyone backed mr dum dum suthep, was unbelievable this vile king of corruption could stand in silom and talk for weeks on ending corruption .

Too much vile greed at the top and probably worse know and certainly no better than previous governments .

Couldn't agree more Sir! If anyone deserves life in jail, it is him!!!

28 minutes ago, Enzian said:

I'm not defending Suthep but this case goes WAY back in the past and the article doesn't mention any timeline. Why in this country do they so often wait so many years before deciding to bring action on some cases?

Suthep is a major mafia figure in the south, untouchable. The case is from 2010. He had prosecuted many, including the government officials, for defamation, and won. Even the king supports him, that’s why he withdraw honours from the previous head of dsi. 

 

Has there ever been a project here where someone should not have been charged I doubt it!????

17 hours ago, seajae said:

couldnt happen to a more deserving person, massive fines/seizures and jail time would be good

He has obviously upset a few people.  A bomb in the basement at Centro, Koh Samui and total destruction by fire of a warehouse complex in Surat Thani just to start with.