Police restart construction project after scandal

Kwanhathai Malakan,

Piyanuch Thamnukasetchai

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- National police chief General Adul Saengsingkaew has called a meeting on Friday (February 15) to find solutions for the 396 police stations affected by the corruption-tainted rebuilding project. The original Bt5.84-billion contract was awarded to PCC Development and newsjsConstruction Co in 2010 but later scrapped when work was abandoned at stations across the country. A cost estimate for the remaining construction work will be delivered by March 3 and new contractors hired, police spokesman Pol Maj-General Piya Uthayo said yesterday.

Deputy national police chief Worapong Chiewpreecha will lead a working team overseeing five tasks for the project:

1. Probes into contract violations, the police's transferring of plots for construction, the subcontracts, and documents related to delays and damages in the subsequently cancelled contract.

2. Setting up a process to find new contractors, whereby each police region co-ordinates with its provincial public works office to deliver a cost estimate for remaining work by March 3. (Police regions will be permitted to open the bidding to contractors without waiting for the original contract's March 14 deadline.)

3. Dealing with civil and criminal lawsuits stemming from the controversial contract. Pol General Jate Mongkolhatthee will take charge, advised by two lawyers from the Office of the Auditor-General.

4. Finding temporary solutions to allow the 82 totally demolished and 314 partially demolished precincts to operate - either by using unaffected space within precinct compounds, using nearby state office's space, or by renting privately owned property.

5. Hosting a three-month trial among precincts to find the best solutions for temporary police station space, case management and public service.

Piya also urged the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to carefully check information before summoning Adul as part of its probe, as he only became police chief on October 1, 2012, and hence wasn't involved in the contract's negotiations.

Adul himself said he and former national police chief Priewpan Damapong had only taken the top job after the contract was completed, and the contract's renewal was overseen by the Police Commissioner's Office of Logistics, under a Cabinet resolution. He said the DSI should make sure it had evidence before summoning him, but he would welcome the chance to give information. He said his agency was the injured party and was trying to solve the problem.

Meanwhile, DSI chief Tharit Pengdit said the investigation into the original contract had made significant progress thanks to more evidence from the police. DSI officials are interviewing subcontractors in the North over their complaints of fraud by project contractor PCC, while PCC representatives have been summoned to explain themselves to the DSI in two weeks' time.

-- The Nation 2013-02-13

Looks as though this will go quiet now......

6. Where are the advance payments now, and how to get them back.

I notice this point is rarely included when it comes to public spending!

3. Dealing with civil and criminal lawsuits stemming from the controversial contract. Pol General Jate Mongkolhatthee will take charge, advised by two lawyers from the Office of the Auditor-General.

Bravo! None better than putting another Police General in charge. Now waiting for an expose on how the various generals named relate to each other, which year in the Police Academy, how many got their Doctor's degree in Sam Houston State University, and how many got a picture with our most popular fugitive on their desk :-)

I keep asking but no-one answers - where's the 5+ Billion?????

Expect to read later this year about the restart of corruption after police restart this construction project after a corruption scandal stopped it.

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Expect to read later this year about the restart of corruption after police restart this construction project after a corruption scandal stopped it.

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Agree, lots of by police and whoever indignation, then put it back into the 'system' and in 5 minutes the leeches will be at the trough.

I keep asking but no-one answers - where's the 5+ Billion?????

Going with history nobody will know for several more years. But rest assured the luxury car dealers in this country will never go out of business.

I see no other choice the Goverbnment and the various police men involved have milked the cash cow dry. Tyhe only thing left to do is start over.

With so much gone wrong on this I think they should bear down on the people who renewed this obvious scam in stead of shutting it down

ooops sorry I forgot they still had some more baht's to get out of the scheme.

I wonder if there is Thai word for clawback regarding the money already stolen.......

Somehow I doubt it....

I keep asking but no-one answers - where's the 5+ Billion?????

Going with history nobody will know for several more years. But rest assured the luxury car dealers in this country will never go out of business.

And the newspaper couldn't care less to investigate this.

Looks as though this will go quiet now......

Maybe not. The headlines next week will be "Police Project suspended as funds run out"

So, what's it going to cost this time after 5 billion has already been stolen? Ah that's right 7 billion, due to inflation. Looks like the cookie jar is open once again, this time to a whole new bunch of thieves. I though Ali Baba only had 40 mates - they must of fled to Thailand and started breeding like rabbits.

Somebody is in for one hell of a party!

For the sake of the poor BIB not having proper office space and housing. Lets hope there is not a change of government at the start of this new construction contract.

I keep asking but no-one answers - where's the 5+ Billion?????

Going with history nobody will know for several more years. But rest assured the luxury car dealers in this country will never go out of business.

And the newspaper couldn't care less to investigate this.

Not if they value their health. Why don't you do it?

Edited February 14, 201313 yr by khunken