Media Personality Sorrayuth, His Firm, Mcot Staff 'conspired To Steal Revenue'

[webfact]

EMBEZZLEMENT CASE

Sorrayuth, three others face legal action: NACC

Atapoom Ongkulna

The Nation

Media personality, his firm, MCOT staff 'conspired to steal revenue'

BANGKOK: -- The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) unanimously resolved to take criminal action against media personality Sorrayuth Suthassanachinda for his role in the alleged embezzlement of Bt138.79 million of MCOT advertising revenue.

NACC commissioner Klanarong Chanthik said the commission would also take legal action against two MCOT officials and Sorrayuth's employee in relation to the alleged embezzlement.

He said the public prosecutors would also be told to charge MCOT's customer service officer Pitchapha Iamsa-ard and her supervisor Anya Uthai, chief of the general affairs division, for having a hand in the embezzlement.

Apart from Sorrayuth, the NACC has also decided to have public prosecutors take criminal action against Montha Thiradet, an executive of Sorrayuth's Raisom Co, and the company itself as a legal entity.

Raisom, which now produces news-oriented and current-affairs shows for Channel 3, has Sorrayuth as a major shareholder.

The firm previously produced news programmes for MCOT until its contract was cancelled over suspicions that it failed to fairly share advertising revenue with the state agency as required by the contract.

Klanarong said Pitchapha was in charge of recording all the advertising slots bought when Sorrayuth's programmes were aired, so MCOT could collect the correct amount from Raisom.

The NACC chief also said that Sorrayuth had given Pitchapha six cheques, worth a total of Bt739,700, allegedly as payment for her silence over the correct advertising slots sold.

This alleged practice came to light in July 2006 when then-MCOT assistant director Boonthik Bulsin noticed that the midnight showing of Raisom programmes was longer.

Pitchapha later said the show had been granted longer airtime than what was agreed with the MCOT, Klanarong said.

She also admitted that she erased details of advertisements from the logbook in order to cover up the actual revenue earned, suggested allegedly by Sorrayuth and Montha.

Klanarong said MCOT had later demanded that Raisom pay advertising revenue, plus value-added tax and interest, for Bt152.969 million and Sorrayuth agreed to do so on October 20, 2006.

Later, MCOT filed a complaint with the Huai Khwang Police Station against Pitchapha and Anya for violating state employee's code of ethics. MCOT also filed a complaint against Raisom, accusing it of causing damages worth Bt138.79 million.

The Huai Khwang Police Station then forwarded the case to the NACC to investigate in December last year.

Klanarong said the NACC would also recommend that MCOT take disciplinary action against Anya for being careless in her role as supervisor.

-- The Nation 2012-09-21

[VintageTQ]

Sorrayuth..... Never.

There is always two sides to every story, and Sorrayuth was spouting on tv today about how he could prove his innocence.

[Jaivin2011]

Another Thai Chinese stealing from the country and promoting corruption. As Usual!

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I wonder if there's any connection here:

Deputy Government Spokesman Anusorn Iamsa-ard.....

MCOT's customer service officer Pitchapha Iamsa-ard....

[jcw]

But he looks so honest on the Television.

[Siripon]

This case has been waiting to happen. I was disappointed when Sorayut teamed up with Thaksin's son Oak and Tan the oishi king in the real estate business. He should know better than to be associated with the former.

[asiawatcher]

next article

[Buchholz]

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) unanimously resolved to take criminal action against media personality Sorrayuth Suthassanachinda for his role in the alleged embezzlement of Bt138.79 million of MCOT advertising revenue.

Sorayuth is claiming today that he's already paid 138.79 Million Baht to MCOT.

.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but as usual, The Nation in their reporting is off in la-la land somewhere.

AFAIK, the venerable NACC can't "take criminal action" against anyone.

They can RECOMMEND that other public agencies like the public prosecutors or, I think, the Attorney General take some legal action.

And based on past history, sometimes those other agencies do followup on NACC cases. And sometimes they don't, or they wait so long that the statute of limitation for the particular offense expires and charges are no longer possible.

That reminds me, it would be very interesting to see, but I doubt if this has ever or will ever be done, to look at a recap of all actions taken over one year or multiple years based on NACC recommendations.

In other words, of XX people that the NACC recommended be charged over XX period of time, XX% were actually criminally prosecuted. And of that number, XX percent were actually ultimately convicted of something other than jaywalking.

I suspect, the success numbers are likely pretty small.

Unfortunately, it's more of the usual tone of "we're really cracking down/coming down hard" on these bad guys, when more often in reality, the bad guys walk unscathed and couldn't care a whit.

Edited September 21, 2012 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Thai at Heart]

To be perfectly honest, THEY ARE ALL AT IT.

[hellodolly]

What is Thailand coming to when a little honest graft and corruption is being exposed for what it is.

Yes it would be nice to see what the follow up on the allegations by NACC came to.

How ever they would not be that relevant as in the past they were not becoming public news to the degree that they are today.

Only time will tell.

[khunken]

And the government appointed the head-honcho of MCOT to take part in sort out the mess in Thai Airways.

[asiawatcher]

So how can an 'employee' who steals money be given leeway to pay it back? Then they complain to the Huay Kwang police who refer the matter to the NACC. Give me a break, arrest him and charge him, he has already admitted it! Just another example of the Police unwilling to do anything.

[brianP]

Smacks of the white collar crooks back home, where they even steal from their kids little league baseball teams, or the many charity organizations that make themselves the beneficiary. Or my own brother who double billed his own Mom for her medicines and expenses. Money loves the love of money.