By Thai Newsroom Reporters
A RIGHT-HAND MAN for de facto Bhumjaithai boss Newin Chidchob has been suspected, among others, of involvement in a preplanned fraud over last year’s exam papers for applicants to get hired as personnel at local government units, a partisan source said today (Aug.24).
Thongchua Chartkitcharoen, the personally-entrusted, close aide to the de facto Bhumjaithai boss, had surreptitiously coordinated with certain officials of Srinakharinwirot University under the alleged conspiracy to cheat on the exam papers in exchange for payoffs in cash offered from those applicants who had earlier purportedly passed the exams, 5,925 of whom were finally found involved in the organised scam and had their individual employments at respective municipalities and sub-district administrations, also known as Or Bor Tor, immediately rescinded with their monthly salary and entitlement pays to be wholly returned.
However, Thongchua has not yet been formally pressed with any charges pertaining to the cheating conspiracy over the exams held by the Department of Local Administration, an agency attached to the Ministry of Interior where Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is taking charge in concurrent fashion. Newin’s right-hand man is currently an adviser to the Bhumjaithai prime minister.
Another suspect, identified as Win Thanapacharapokhin, previously head of a working group attached to Bhumjaithai Public Health Minister Pattana Prompat, had already been arrested and denied bail on charges of involvement in the exam fraud conspiracy.
An estimated nine billion baht in payoff cash had allegedly changed hands over the fraud scandals between the kickback-paying applicants and suspected conspirators including a former chief of the department, politically-associated persons and politicians in government.
Other notable suspects included Ruengdej Sirikich, director of the university’s Educational & Psychological Test Bureau, former Department of Local Administration director-general Thirut Supavibulpol and Department of Provincial Administration Director-General Narucha Kosacivilize, among others.
Similar exam frauds had not only allegedly occurred at the Department of Local Administration but the Department of Provincial Administration which had held exams for those who had applied for chief district officers dating back over nearly the last couple of decades in the time of former interior minister Chavarat Charnvirakul, father of the current Bhumjaithai prime minister, and in the time of one of the latter’s predecessors Abhisit Vejjajiva.
Anutin has earlier said no legal action would be practically spared for any of the suspects in what he branded a “despicable conspiracy” whilst categorically dismissing a possible involvement of himself in it.
Nevertheless, according to government critics, only “small fish” among those fraud suspects would likely be sacrificed and prosecuted whilst “big fish” would simply remain at large.
CAPTION:
Mr. Thongchua Chartkitcharoen, above and Front page, the right-hand man of de facto Bhumjaithai boss Newin Chidchob, inserted. Above photo – MGR Online, inserted – Naewna
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