Lawyers council restarts Bangkok firetruck case for NACC

By Samatch Hunsara

The Nation

A team from the Lawyers Council of Thailand plan to file a complaint with the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Persons Holding Political Positions against four politicians allegedly involved in irregularities in the purchase of fire trucks for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).

The National AntiCorruption Commission had asked the council to designate a team to help the NACC process the case.

NACC secretarygeneral Apinan Issarangkul na Ayudhaya said the team would file the complaint against the four politicians with the Supreme Court on July 25.

The four are former interior minister Pokin Pollakul, former commerce minister Wattana Muangsuk, former Bangkok governor Apirak Kosayodhin, and the former director of the Fire and Rescue Department, Pol MajGeneral Athilak Tanchookiat. Pokin's former deputy minister Pracha Maleenont is also named.

The legal team will also file the same complaint against SteyrDaimlerPuch Spezialfahrzeug AG & Co KG of Austria.

The NACC previously sent documents and reports related to the case to the Office of the AttorneyGeneral for the purpose of filing a complaint to the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Persons Holding Political Positions, but the attorneygeneral said the documentation was incomplete.

The NACC later teamed up with the attorneygeneral to set up a special working group to study the incomplete reports and documents but the group could not come up with a satisfactory resolution.

The BMA bought hundreds of fire trucks and other firefighting equipment from the Austrian company several years ago, but the contract was made invalid and the vehicles confiscated by the NACC, which ruled that the vehicles were overpriced. It accused many politicians and former ministers from the dissolved Thai Rak Thai party and BMA officials of corruption in the scandal.

-- The Nation 2011-07-16

It is just me or are we being dished the same warmed-up soup regularly over and over again; like the perpetual rerun of soap operas? Be it the fire truck story, the Saudi jewels, the city buses from Belgium, the submarines etc. etc.

Or eventually another case of the kettle calling the pot black, or so? Oh well.......

No its not just you.. The amazing thing is i believe thaT fire trucks are STILL not being used and are STILL IN STORAGE.

So not only are they overpriced (allegedly) they are actually useless now having been standing outside for 3-4 years.

Unless as i hope some one had the sense to actually put them into service.

No its not just you.. The amazing thing is i believe thaT fire trucks are STILL not being used and are STILL IN STORAGE.

So not only are they overpriced (allegedly) they are actually useless now having been standing outside for 3-4 years.

Unless as i hope some one had the sense to actually put them into service.

Can just see the headlines now:

(4 years in the future )

"Numerous ministers facing a major court hurdle to their re-election campaigns, after irregularities have appeared in selling 5,500 fire trucks for scrap metal."

Return to the abysis it seems. A never ending decent into lowering the political classes IQ into negative numbers.

Some facts for those that care.

1. These fire engines are currently and have for for the past several years sitting outside and uncovered....rust and non routine maintenance alone would make these apparatus....useless.

2. They paid $600,000 for these very poorly designed fire apparatus, whereas as far more functional apparatus can be bought in the u.s. for $300,000

3. All the people that got their tea money are gone. FYI.. Thaksins wife for a kickback of $50,000 per apparatus. Why is her name not mentioned?

I have it on good authority that the firetruck graveyard is going to be turned into a tourist attraction. We can then add another hub to our status of hub of hubs.

Rusty fire truck hub?

They will need to allocate another budget to get the trucks back in working order, before they can be used.

Almost as bad as not paying your bills for 20 years for building expressways?

Stack them up in the car park at Central World with a large sign saying 'Lest We Forget'

Don't respray them first.