Probe findings given to NCCC
An investigation into the corruption scandal surrounding the Public Health Ministry's Bt900-million computer procurement project has implicated a politician who was recently stripped of electoral rights, Deputy Public Health Minister Vallop Thaineua said yesterday.
Vallop declined to identify the politician. "But we have forwarded the case to the National Counter Corruption Commission," he said. Three years ago, Vallop publicly quarrelled with then-public health minister and Thai Rak Thai deputy Sudarat Keyuraphan. After she transferred him from the ministry's permanent secretary job to an inactive post, Vallop accused her of corrupt behaviour in the computer procurement. Last week, the Constitution Tribunal stripped Sudarat and 110 other Thai Rak Thai executives of electoral rights. Vallop officially began his post as deputy public health minister on May 8. He has since been ordered to oversee probes into two of the ministry's biggest scandals. These were the Bt900-million computer procurement and Bt340-million ambulance procurement. On the ambulance-procurement project, Vallop said he asked the investigation committee, headed by Dr Paijit Warachit, to dig deeper to try to find if ambulance specifications were fixed - and who was involved in the process. Paijit is head of the Medical Sciences Department. The Office of the Auditor General (OAG) is also looking into the ambulance procurement. Fuangfah Tienpraphasit, a senior official at the OAG, said its probe tion should be completed by July.
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