Appointment of four Revenue deputies was criminal offence: NCCC

In a majority vote, the commission also found Khunying Tipawadee Meksawan guilty of a grave disciplinary offence for related wrongdoing while serving as secretary general of the Office of Civil Service Commission (OCSC) in 2001.

By law, a guilty verdict from the NCCC in such cases requires that officials be dismissed or fired within 30 days.

"The NCCC issued the resolution on Tuesday," NCCC member and spokesman Klanarong Chantik said yesterday. "Suparat was found guilty of a criminal offence as well as a grave disciplinary offence."

He said NCCC was going to inform Suparat's supervisor of its verdict to ensure he received disciplinary punishment.

"We will also forward the case to the Attorney General for criminal prosecution," Klanarong said.

Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij said he would look into the details from the NCCC before taking any action.

Of the guilty officials, only Suparat remains in the civil service.

Guilty in the same case were Somchainuk Engtrakul, then permanent secretary for Finance, Sommai Pasi, then deputy permanent secretary for Finance, Veera Chaiyatham, then an adviser at the OCSC, and Methee Pamaranont, then an OCSC representative at the Finance ministry.

Klanarong said Tipawadee introduced extra measures for selecting officials for 9level posts by herself, despite the fact there was a Cabinetapproved guideline in place.

The additional measures later allowed Somchainuk, Sommai, Veera and Suparat -then director general of the Revenue Department - to appoint favoured officials as deputy director generals of the Revenue Department.

Methee played a role in supporting the officials in their ille¬gal move.

A senior official at the Department had lodged a complaint with the Administrative Court over the move.

"The Supreme Administrative Court ruled that the appointment of the deputy director generals was illegitimate because there were grounds to believe the selection panel intended to appoint their favoured people from the very beginning," Klanarong said.

An informed source said the Central Administrative Court had also revoked the appointment order and ordered that the four deputy director generals return to their old positions or equivalent posts.