BMA PROCUREMENT
Democrats want Samak and Bhokin questioned
Party tells NCCC it has evidence of graft involving pair, other officials
The Democrat Party will tomorrow ask the National Counter Corruption Commis-sion (NCCC) to question former Bangkok governor Samak Sundaravej and former interior minister Bhokin Bhalakula about the Bt6.68-billion deal to buy fire-trucks and fire-boats for the capital. Deputy Democrat leader Alongkorn Pollabutr said yesterday the party's anti-corruption committee had found evidence that the controversial deal was not transparent and possibly corrupt, and had caused damage to the country worth nearly Bt2 billion. Alongkorn said he would submit the evidence to the NCCC tomorrow along with a request that Samak and Bhokin be summoned. The party will also request that other officials and individuals, both Thai and foreign, are summoned. Alongkorn cited the Offences Relating to the Submission of Bids to Government Agencies Act 1999, the Counter Corruption Act 1999, and the Criminal Law's article 15, which stipulates that corrupt officials causing damage to the civil service shall be subjected to one to 10 years in prison. Among the factors cited by Alongkorn as suspicious was that the purchase contract, which was not proof-read by the Office of the Attorney-General, was apparently signed in haste on August 27, 2004, the last day of the Samak administration's term. The purchase contract was also signed before the Foreign Trade Department and supplier Steyr Daimler Puch signed the counter-trade contract on September 30, 2004. Commerce Ministry regulations require that counter-trade contracts be signed before purchase contracts. Alongkorn also said the price was unrealistically high, putting the country at a disadvantage and causing damages worth nearly Bt2 billion. The new governor, Apirak Kosayodhin, submitted two requests to Bhokin - on September 30 and October 12, 2004 - that the deal be reviewed. However, Alongkorn said, Bhokin insisted that the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration carry on with the deal without considering the damage caused to the civil service by failing to bargain or compare prices before purchasing.
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