Published on January 13, 2006

The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has begun a criminal inquiry into irregularities associated with 16 road construction projects in Bangkok following the city administration’s failure to take action in the matter, a senior DSI official said yesterday.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) made no effort to investigate the matter despite complaints being lodged quite a long time ago, said Colonel Suchart Wonganantchai, director of the DSI’s bureau of special criminal cases. The Bangkok governor ordered a halt to the projects after BMA officials were summoned by the DSI for questioning.

The department’s director-general, Sombat Amornwiwat, said the DSI’s investigation of the projects was not politically motivated to discredit the BMA. “The DSI is performing its duties under its jurisdictional mandate to look into any government projects worth more than Bt100 million that are surrounded by corruption allegations.”

He said the DSI investigation would continue despite Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin’s order on Monday temporarily halting the projects, worth a total of Bt20 billion.

“The probe will move on, as the crime has already been committed. The halt order only stops further damage [from the corruption],” he said.

Apirak said his order earlier this week setting up an investigation committee to look into the issue was not a hurried ploy to complete the probe before the DSI could finish its investigation. A seven-day deadline he ordered for results from the BMA probe could be extended if the job is not completed in that time.

The BMA and DSI probes follow allegations that, during the reign of a former Bangkok governor, the contracts for the 16 projects were rigged to suit the conditions of the winning bidders.

Apirak said yesterday that Deputy Governor Samart Ratchapolsitte, who oversees all road construction and public work projects, was absent from Monday’s press conference for reasons other than his involvement in the allegations.

A source said Apirak’s prompt action this week resulted from his fear that the BMA’s image would suffer if he did nothing about the claims.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam has completed a draft proposal relating to the government’s e-auction policy, in which all government project specifications would be required to be posted on a website for open discussion and criticism by the public before bidding processes begin.

The proposal will be submitted to the Cabinet for approval and is expected to become effective on February 1.

Asked whether he is worried about current government projects having to be put on hold by complaints and demands for retroactive effects from bidders who lost contracts, Wissanu said the government is ready to face the consequences of the new measures.

“It is better than letting everything continue to happen as it does now,” he said.

Piyanuch Thamnukasetchai,

Jeerawan Prasomsap

The Nation

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