Local Admin Dept. chief axed over alleged recruitment corruption

The director general of the Local Administration Department (LAD), Teeruth Supawiboonpol, was abruptly transferred to work at the Interior Ministry, effective tomorrow, over allegedly massive corruption in the recruitment process at the LAD and regional offices.

The transfer follows last week’s raid on a house in Bang Laen sub-district of Bang Yai district in Nonthaburi by officials from the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) and police from the Anti-Corruption Division.

Armed with a court-issued search warrant, the officials seized 18 computers, in which they found name lists of the job applicants from throughout the country who had attended recruitment tests.

The officials have also found test papers completed by about 3,000 job applicants, with the scores of about 2,000 test papers being tampered with to increase their chances of securing the vacant posts. All the papers are now being examined by forensic specialists.

Some complainants who attended the recruitment examination have claimed that they had been approached by “some individuals”, saying that they could help them get the jobs in exchange for about 350,000 baht or 700,000 to 800,000 for a higher position. The examinations took place last December.

Informed police sources say that the amount of money involved in the exam cheating is estimated to be about 4.5 billion baht, adding that the investigation has been expanded as more people are believed to be involved, involving mover than 6,669 positions in the LAD and its affiliated local administration organisations.

Netiphol Chumyuang, head of the NACC’s Investigation and Special Operations Division, said today that undercover officials had surveilled the house in Nonthaburi for three days before the raid.

Responding to the alleged corruption in the LAD, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, in his capacity as the interior minister, said that he has instructed authorities to deal decisively with the case, noting that such corruption is “totally unacceptable.”

Interior permanent secretary, Orasit Samphantharat, who ordered the transfer of the LAD chief, said that the alleged corruption is “very bad.”