Jump to content


Land Survey Head Arrested in Chonburi for Alleged Bribery Involving Construction Projects


Recommended Posts

 

IMG_7191.jpeg
 

In a high-profile operation, authorities arrested the head of the land survey division in Chonburi for allegedly demanding under-the-table payments from contractors. The arrest, carried out at the Chonburi Provincial Land Office, revealed a system of bribes where every housing project had to pay kickbacks ranging from 100,000 to 200,000 baht per house.

 

At 15:15 on October 23, Mr. Phumvisal Kasemsuk, Secretary-General of the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), led a joint operation with various government officials, including Pol. Lt. Col. Siripong Sritula, Deputy Secretary-General of PACC, Ms. Arpornnee Semrasut, Director of the Public Sector Corruption Suppression Division 1, and several high-ranking police officers. They apprehended the suspect under a warrant issued by the Region 2 Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct.

 

The suspect faces four charges:

 

1. Demanding or accepting bribes or other benefits in exchange for performing or not performing official duties.

2. Abusing official power to cause damage to others or acting corruptly.

3. Misuse of official authority for personal gain.

4. Demanding illegal payments as a government official.

 

The arrest followed a complaint from a housing developer in Mueang Chonburi District, who claimed the suspect demanded 50,000 baht for surveying and issuing land titles for 25 plots of land at a rate of 2,000 baht per plot. After receiving this tip-off, the PACC coordinated with the Anti-Corruption Police (ACPD) and the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to gather evidence, leading to the court-issued arrest warrant.

 

During the arrest, the suspect allegedly defended the payments as “standard fees” applied to all land subdivisions. Officials are now expanding their investigation, seeking evidence of similar bribes from other developers.

 

Several other developers have confirmed that it is common practice to pay bribes to officials for project approvals, significantly increasing the cost of homes by as much as 100,000 to 200,000 baht. These additional costs are often passed on to homebuyers.

 

The PACC is now considering proactive measures to prevent such widespread corruption in the housing industry. Authorities will continue their investigation, with further charges possible as more evidence is uncovered.

 


Picture courtesy of PACC

news-logo-btm.jpg

-- 2024-10-23


Cigna Banner (500x100) (1).png

 

image.png

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.