PACC and OAG confirm Rajabhakti park project is clean

[webfact]

PACC and OAG confirm Rajabhakti park project is clean



BANGKOK: -- The Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) and the Office of the Auditor-General have cleared the Rajabhakti park project in Hua Hin of any corruption.

The above decision was jointly announced by Justice Minister Paiboon Kumchaya, PACC secretary-general Prayong Preeyachit and auditor-general Phisit Leelawachiropas at a press conference held Wednesday at the National Anti-Corruption Centre in the compound of the Justice Ministry.

Pheu Thai party’s legal advisor Ruangkrai Leekitwattana and United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship chairman Jatuporn Promphan were also present at the press conference.

General Paiboon said the fact-finding probe focused on procurement project which was investigated by the OAG and the alleged under-the-table commission payment issue which was investigated by PACC.

Mr Prayong said PACC officials summoned operators of five foundries contracted to cast the giant statues of seven former Thai great kings for questioning and it was confirmed that about 20 million baht in commission was paid in the form of five cheques by the five foundry operators to an amulet trader known only as Sia Ooh to secure the contract to cast the giant statues.

Sia Ooh used some of the commission and returned the rest to the five foundry operators who eventually donated them to the Rajabhakti Park Foundation. Receipts for the donations were issued by the Army to the five donors.

Mr Phisit, meanwhile, said the OAG officials probed the donations and procurement project and found public donations went into six bank accounts of the Army Welfare Fund but, eventually, the donations were put in just one bank account.

As of December 31, 2015, donations in the bank account amounted to 733 million baht of which 458 million baht were withdrawn for use – 318 million baht for the cost of the seven giant statues and the rest plus an addition of 105 million which were withdrawn for the casting of commemorative coins. There were 140 million baht left in the bank account.

As for the trees planted at the park, they were given free of charge by a donor but there were 4 million baht charges for transportation and planting of the trees.

The rest of the procurement project was above board, said Mr Phisit, adding that the quality of the materials used in the casting of the statues was in accordance with the specifications.

The Army Welfare Fund was eventually changed to Rajabhakti Park Welfare Fund.

Mr Jatuporn told the media that the latest investigation result was not different from the previous result. However, he said he believed that there was something wrong with the project otherwise the army would not have blocked activist groups from visiting the park to carry out their own probe.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/156535

-- Thai PBS 2016-03-24

[candide]

So it's just that commissions have been paid to an amulet trader (whose real identity is not disclosed) in order to get contracts for the statues. It's all clean then! I feel relieved!

[halloween]

'20 million baht in commission was paid in the form of five cheques by the five foundry operators to an amulet trader known only as Sia Ooh'

Leaving aside my opinion of the honesty rating of amulet traders, the question is why? And if he used "some" of the money, how much, and why can't they trace the account the cheque was paid into?

BTW I suspect whoever concocted the BS may be an Ed McBain fan. Sia Ooh = another alias for Deaf Man ???

BTW2 Jatuporn can't understand why the RTA doesn't want him and his mates in their park. I wouldn't want him in my park either.

Edited March 23, 2016 by halloween

[jamesbrock]

Right, because you say so...

[Jessi]

Really! what other decision would anyone expect?

Remember this is Thailand.

[bangkokfrog]

The Army Welfare Fund was eventually changed to Rajabhakti Park Welfare Fund.

I can see the reason for this, as the park has probably improved a lot of people in the army's "welfare".

[LannaGuy]

so the statues cost 45m each? a bargain right?

[NongKhaiKid]

This is a major surprise of course but to say otherwise would have taken wrongdoing all the way to the top and that would never do, would it ?

Anyway isn't criticism against all that's currently holy ?

[tuanku]

meanwhile the PACC and OAG have submitted their own receipt to the Army welfare fund for 10 million baht for the purchase of whitewash.

[HarrySeaman]

Read the report in the BKK Post if you want more information, including that 6%-7% of the payment was set aside for was regarded as a business-based reward as the amulet trader brought work to the foundries. In plain speak, not political speak, that means that 6%-7% was set aside for bribes in this project.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/908264/cnac-finds-no-fraud-in-park-statues. View our policies at http://goo.gl/9HgTd and http://goo.gl/ou6Ip. © Post Publishing PCL. All rights reserved.

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

So the price for the statutes was lowered. Why ? Were they overpriced to start with to accommodate bribes ? Were the original prices first accepted by the RTA and later changed, the question then would be how they could approve prices 40% to 50% higher than the final prices ? When ? Before the scandal erupted or after ? What about the B 100 000 they paid per palm tree ? Everyone is concentrating on the mouse and are missing the elephant in the room. There is only a few statutes but many trees.

[jamesbrock]

meanwhile the PACC and OAG have submitted their own receipt to the Army welfare fund for 10 million baht for the purchase of whitewash.

Perhaps it's as high as 30 million baht?

According to the article there was about 733 million baht in account, 458 million was withdrawn - of which 318 million was spent on the statues, leaving 140 million in hand - then a further 105 million was withdrawn to pay for the commemorative coins (245 million for the coins). This, in any other country would leave 170 million baht in the account, yet the Centre for National Anti-Corruption (CNAC) says there was only 140 million left in the account (and obviously didn't consider this an irregularity)...

[mrrizzla]

As soon as Prem gave the "good people" endorsement you knew nothing would happen in this case.

Hell, you knew that before he even said that...

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I'm struggling to understand how any of the details of what's described in the OP can be considered to be "clean" and free of corruption. And what's an "amulet trader" doing in the middle of all this anyway?

Meanwhile, what about the officers involved in all this who were reported to have criminal (LM or other) charges filed against them and disappeared and/or fled the country? That matter/case seems to have gone strangely quiet!

[phoenixdoglover]

If the OAG had any integrity, they would not allow themselves to be part of this sort of "all clean" announcement. A good auditor is aware of the limitations of an investigation, and the potential for different findings in the future.

I have believed for some time that the OAG in Thailand is a paper tiger. And possibly worse. So much goes down on their watch.

Edited March 24, 2016 by phoenixdoglover

[phil2407]

Just work on the figures given - means cost more than "donated" but panel of army guys reporting on the army - same old same old

[z42]

No one with an ounce of intelligence buys this latest BS story. If the amulet trader got legal commissions legally then why did he go overseas at the first whiff of a scandal I wonder, that in itself is a giant red flag.

Another BS claim is that it costs 4 million baht to "transport and plant" palm trees. That's close to 150,000 USD. The cost of shipping inside Thailand is extraordinarily cheap, so who I wonder did they hire to transport them, and from where?

I could go on and on picking apart the nonsense claims, in short though its an incredibly poor attempt at a whitewash. The levels of intelligence demonstrated by these clowns is shockingly low, and the levels of shame, lower still.

[mtls2005]

Seems like the park may need cleaning?

Rajabhakti Park to close for a week for cleaning

Rajabhakti Park, the historic park in Prachuap Khiri Khan’s Hua Hin |district to honour the seven Great Kings of Siam, will be closed for a week from May 23-29 for thorough cleaning of car exhaust fumes and auto grease in the park’s plaza area.

Army spokesman Colonel Winthai Suvari said yesterday Army chief General Theerachai Nakwanich had approved the park's temporary closure to facilitate the cleaning, as well as overall maintenance.

The park last year was at the centre of a corruption scandal, which led to a Defence Ministry inquiry as well as probe by other agencies until it was announced earlier this year that there was no evidence of kickbacks in the project.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Rajabhakti-Park-to-close-for-a-week-for-cleaning-30285960.html

[DM07]

Surpriiiiiiiiiiiise!

[tuanku]

The report merely says that the level of corruption is deemed acceptable, given who was in charge of the project. It actually points out quite clearly there was some corruption, later clumsily attempted to be redressed when it came to light, and through inflated costs and figures that don't add up, potentially a lot more. however the PACC and OAG are happy that the corruption level was within reasonable bounds for this kind of project. After all the money that was stolen was freely donated.

Who oversees the PACC and OAG for corruption I wonder?