Dean and office chief arrested at Burapha Uni - investigation into corruption involving foreigners

[webfact]

Picture: Thai Rath

 

Thai Rath reported that police officers from the Anti Corruption and Misconduct Suppression Division arrested the dean of the faculty of political sciences and the acting head of the dean's office at Burapha University in Saensuk district of Chonburi on Thailand's eastern seaboard.

 

The arrest concerns complaints received and investigated upon by the authorities that millions of baht went missing from a 1.1 billion baht Groundwater Resource Management fund back in January 2018.

 

Investigations showed that three foreign lecturers had supposedly been paid 150,000 baht each to come to Thailand. 

 

But the reality was that the three who had been paid 450,000 baht in total had arrived in Thailand in February 2017 and left the same month.

 

They had not been back since.

 

In addition the police say they have evidence that many foreigners paid 30,000 to 40,000 baht for a training seminar that never took place.

 

There was only evidence that they had booked rooms. There had been no seminar face to face or online.

And there had been no foreigners attending.

 

Dean Theerapong Bualao, 48, and Ms Sayaphat Kitikittisarawanno, 46, face multiple corruption charges including embezzlement of funds. 

 

They have denied everything and after fingerprinting at Saensuk police station in the Bang Saen area were released pending further inquiries. 

 

Pol Maj-Gen Jaroonkiat Pankaew said that 47 projects were investigated and 8 showed evidence of illegality in that there was "a hidden agenda for personal gain".

 

Investigations are expanding. 

 

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[2baht]

21 minutes ago, webfact said:

They have denied everything

Who would expect any less, more crooked, thieving wimps!

[scubascuba3]

"hidden agenda for personal gain" a bit like all those over the top flashing road cats eyes all over Pattaya

[TTSIssues]

What hope does the country have if (and I stress “if”) the dean of political science at a university is embroiled in this type of behaviour. 

[sikishrory]

Confusing. So is this a case of the big bad farang again or not?

[Aussieroaming]

Excellent, the Dean can now hold classes with his RTP students, teaching them the subtle ways in which corruption can be optimized, win/win.

[wensiensheng]

6 minutes ago, sikishrory said:

Confusing. So is this a case of the big bad farang again or not?

No. It appears to be a case of university employees allegedly fabricating the need to pay foreigners for services rendered, when in actual fact, no services were rendered. Fraudulent invoices in other words. Allegedly.

 

at least that’s how I read it.

[cnx101]

Normal 

[HauptmannUK]

"In addition the police say they have evidence that many foreigners paid 30,000 to 40,000 baht for a training seminar that never took place."

 

So 'corruption involving foreigners' - but its the foreigners that were defrauded?

[mjakob007]

22 minutes ago, Aussieroaming said:

Excellent, the Dean can now hold classes with his RTP students, teaching them the subtle ways in which corruption can be optimized, win/win.

wonder which party would benefit from this interaction!

would the dean get taught some new tricks!

[blazes]

Mind you, all universities in the  West charge differential fees to foreign students, often close to 3 times what domestic students have to  pay. 

 

While the foreigners actually can attend real-live classes, they are basically paying thousands of dollars for precisely...nothing.   (A bit like visiting a Thai national park.)

[RichardColeman]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Burapha University in Saensuk district of Chonburi on Thailand's eastern seaboard.

 

Interesting that they name a university a fraud my have occurred in, but not something like a hotel a customer definitely have slipped on a prawn ball ! Either sure of a prosecution, or the dean has no connections

[RandolphGB]

Thailand - corrupt to the core in every walk of society. 

[aussienam]

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

"hidden agenda for personal gain" a bit like all those over the top flashing road cats eyes all over Pattaya

Especially the ones that are adjacent to the roadside kerb, and vehicles park over the top,  something I have not ever seen anywhere else before.  

[hellohello123]

Corruption in Thailand involving money!

 

Who would have thought

[scubascuba3]

21 minutes ago, aussienam said:

Especially the ones that are adjacent to the roadside kerb, and vehicles park over the top,  something I have not ever seen anywhere else before.  

I noticed many roads had them in Kasetsin Pattaya area last night, look ridiculously over the top, plus how will they last before they stop working, I'll guess a couple years then they are worthless

[kuzmabruk]

12 minutes ago, hellohello123 said:

Corruption in Thailand involving money!

 

Who would have thought

You people come from countries that have perfected the art of theft.  And you whine about poor Thais stealing a few baht.  Good home for god’s sakes.  Leave this country and it’s people alone.  

[champers]

A lovers' tryst? They're not going to get to the "run away together to a secret hideaway" part of the dream.

[hellohello123]

29 minutes ago, kuzmabruk said:

You people come from countries that have perfected the art of theft.  And you whine about poor Thais stealing a few baht.  Good home for god’s sakes.  Leave this country and it’s people alone.  

Last time I checked, my country's prisons have heaps of thieves,

So obviously we haven't perfected it.....

[2baht]

43 minutes ago, kuzmabruk said:

And you whine about poor Thais stealing a few baht.

1.1 billion baht, hug a few for me, oh and be sure to apologise will you!

[Eleftheros]

2 hours ago, HauptmannUK said:

"In addition the police say they have evidence that many foreigners paid 30,000 to 40,000 baht for a training seminar that never took place."

 

So 'corruption involving foreigners' - but its the foreigners that were defrauded?

The original Thai article linked in the OP does not refer to foreigners in its headline. The foreigners are mentioned once briefly towards the bottom of the story.

[Burma Bill]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

arrested the dean of the faculty of political sciences

Does his Department offer Masters Degrees in how to scam money from public funds?????

 

[outsider]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

... police officers from the Anti Corruption and Misconduct Suppression Division arrested the dean of the faculty...

Pot. Kettle.

[Srikcir]

There's another mystery to me how an university department of political sciences even had access to such funds.

The Groundwater Management Fund seems to imply a degree of developing and constructing civil projects that would provide sustainable water sources, flood and drought control. A university political science department doesn't seem to be  the correct venue to meet mission objectives.

 

Case in point by analogy:

August 13, 2020

https://thailand.prd.go.th

The government approved almost 12 billion baht towards 14 drought and flood projects in 76 provinces. Allocation of funds went to five ministries: 

• Agriculture and Cooperatives
• Interior
• Transport
• Defense
• Natural Resources and Environment

How does essentially the Ministry of Education, specifically the subject university and dean/acting dean of the political sciences department have alleged access to the subject fund?

 

Might there be further higher-level organizational involvement to divert the subject funds? The two arrested parties might just be "low-hanging fruit" in regard to "missing funds." ACNS Division might further focus on the money trail leading to the subject university department. 

 

[Bday Prang]

38 minutes ago, hellohello123 said:

Last time I checked, my country's prisons have heaps of thieves,

So obviously we haven't perfected it.....

Or,  its the thieves you talk of who really "obviously" have not yet perfected their art 

[mran66]

News comparable to a headline "Roads were found to be wet when it was raining".

 

With 1.1B funds accessible without extraordinary controls to Thais you are pretty much guaranteed to find some stolen in some way or another, let it be university, department of roads or a buddhist temple.

 

Odds of finding case not like this I would say are about equal to finding a dry road when its raining if you ask me.

[Bday Prang]

3 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

There's another mystery to me how an university department of political sciences even had access to such funds.

The Groundwater Management Fund seems to imply a degree of developing and constructing civil projects that would provide sustainable water sources, flood and drought control. A university political science department doesn't seem to be  the correct venue to meet mission objectives.

 

Case in point by analogy:

August 13, 2020

https://thailand.prd.go.th

The government approved almost 12 billion baht towards 14 drought and flood projects in 76 provinces. Allocation of funds went to five ministries: 

• Agriculture and Cooperatives
• Interior
• Transport
• Defense
• Natural Resources and Environment

How does essentially the Ministry of Education, specifically the subject university and dean/acting dean of the political sciences department have alleged access to the subject fund?

 

Might there be further higher-level organizational involvement to divert the subject funds? The two arrested parties might just be "low-hanging fruit" in regard to "missing funds." ACNS Division might further focus on the money trail leading to the subject university department. 

 

Its not that difficult to see how it works,  once the money has been identified by  a certain person of the appropriate standing in the relevant department who then  decides he wants it. He would literally just take it,  part of it would be set aside to either pay those required to facilitate the extortion or to buy the silence of others. They are all at it here  they can't help themselves, I don't know why foreigners here get so upset. it has its  advantages if one has money, and most of us do

[Bday Prang]

2 hours ago, HauptmannUK said:

"In addition the police say they have evidence that many foreigners paid 30,000 to 40,000 baht for a training seminar that never took place."

 

So 'corruption involving foreigners' - but its the foreigners that were defrauded?

I doubt any foreigners were actually defrauded or recieved a cut I suspect a misprint ...

many foreigners   (WERE Allegedly)    paid 30,000 to 40,000 baht for a training seminar that never took place."

[kennw]

1 hour ago, kuzmabruk said:

You people come from countries that have perfected the art of theft.  And you whine about poor Thais stealing a few baht.  Good home for god’s sakes.  Leave this country and it’s people alone.  

Take your rose colored glasses off mate and accept the fact that there is corruption here, not all people but when the bad ones are exposed, accept it. 

[jacko45k]

The headline insinuates that the foreigners were involved in the corruption, but what I read seemed to suggest they were victims of it, and maybe used to support the corruption. Am I wrong?