Staff probed in local admin exam fraud

Five Local Administration Department (LAD) officials are to face disciplinary investigation after being implicated in fraud related to the recruitment exams for about 7,000 new employees for the department and its local administrative organisations, according to Interior Permanent Secretary Orasit Sampuntharat.

Earlier, LAD Director General Teeruth Supawiboonpol was abruptly transferred to an “inactive post” at the Interior Ministry, pending the outcome of an investigation.

During a press conference, chaired by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Orasit said that, in addition to the five LAD officials, several other individuals, including outsiders, are believed to be involved in the massive fraud and investigations are under way by the Anti-Money Laundering Office and five other state agencies. These will uncover the trail of money paid by examinees to corrupt officials to help them pass the exam.

He disclosed that the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has now confiscated more than 800,000 exam answer sheets for examination, to determine how many of them were tampered with. He also said the investigation will not be limited to this recruitment exam, but will look at previous exams as well.

Prime Minister Anutin said that he has instructed the permanent secretary to take decisive action against both corrupt officials and examinees who cheated. For those who are proved to have cheated, he said that they will be dismissed from civil service immediately.

Civil service employment applicants who cheated are reported to have paid at least 350,000 baht to secure a low-ranking job on a starting salary of 15,000 baht. The bribe demanded reportedly increased to 800,000 baht for a higher-position at the LAD.

At the beginning of the press conference, Anutin praised the investigative committee for its achievement in completing its first probe within seven days of the raid on a house in Nonthaburi province by NACC officials and counter corruption police. Several suspects were arrested and a large amount of evidence was confiscated, including 800,000 exam answer sheets and computer files.

Deputy Interior Permanent Secretary Suntithorn Yimlamai, meanwhile, said the investigative committee has questioned 15 individuals and has invited information technology experts to examine the answer sheets collected from 10 examination sites across the country.

The Srinakharinwirot Prasarn Mitr University was commissioned by the Office of Civil Service Commission to organise the recruitment exam for the LAD.

Suntithorn disclosed that initial findings show that the computer files of the answer sheets were not sent to the LAD immediately after being checked and scored. When the investigators compared the digitised answer sheets against the officially announced scores of 79 exam applicants, it was discovered that the scores of 48 did not match those shown on the computer files.

The prime minister also claimed that, for one particular applicant, the score on the answer sheet was 45, but the official announcement showed a score of 77. Another received a score of 52 on his answer sheet, but the official score was reported as 74.