By Thai Newsroom Reporters
INTERIOR Undersecretary Arsit Sampantharat is taking steps to fire any local government officials who may be found to have been earlier evidently involved in a recruitment exam-rigging scam, legally force them to pay back all their salary and entitlement allowances and bring them to justice in court, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul confirmed today (July 7).
The prime minister was responding to latest developments on the part of the Ministry of Interior which he is concurrently running after as many as one-third of about 15,000 people had been suspected of involvement in the recruitment exam-rigging scandals allegedly perpetrated to land themselves undue positions in local government units nationwide.
The interior undersecretary is legally empowered to immediately rescind the current employment of those local officials evidently found involved in the exam-rigging scam in which other relatively high-ranking government officials may also have conspired to mount and need not wait for investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Commission, according to the prime minister who categorically denied that any members of his Bhumjaithai-led cabinet could possibly have been involved, too.
Anutin confirmed that Arsit cannot only immediately stop any suspected cheating officials from working and demand that they pay back all their salary and entitlement allowances but press criminal lawsuits against them in court.
The prime minister was referring to as many as 5,000 unidentified government officials who had allegedly paid off other yet-unnamed officials in exchange for their doctoring of the exam papers to land themselves jobs in local government units.
He admitted such cheating in recruitment exams for government personnel could probably have occurred to any state agencies other than the Ministry of Interior which currently takes command of local government units including 2,770 municipalities and 4,990 sub-district administrations, better known as Or Bor Tor, throughout the country.
CAPTIONS:
Top: An official working on a recruitment exam result. Photo – Naewna
Front Page: An exam result paper indicating that cheating took place. Photo – PPTVHD36
Also read:
PM urged to dissolve House or step down if govt’s executive decree denied by court
Three-finger activists acquitted of lese majeste, mass seduction charges
Conflict of interest emerges between Anutin and Newin
Justice Minister reproached for avoiding House inquiry into senatorial rigging scandals
Pawoot found to have used payment service of illegally operating firm
Ekniti embellishes govt’s economic projects with invisible ‘plus’
Heroin-smuggling flight attendant names Thai woman in Australia as recipient
Ronaldo says his last World Cup is over but Portugal decision can wait
Belgium beat United States 4-1 to advance to World Cup quarter-finals
