Five BMA officials face discipline over Santika Club fire

Recommendation had also been made that two other officials, including the former Wattana district director, receive less severe punishment of a salary cut and demotion, BMA permanent secretary Pongsak Semsan said yesterday.

Pongsak said the Public Works division chief, building sub-division chief and building inspector were found to have failed in performing their duties. The then Wattana District chief and a Public Works official who lost the Santika floor plan had committed a less serious disciplinary violation.

Pongsak's report cited a fact-finding committee, led by Public Works Department chief Chatinai Naowaphut, and a Finance Office-assigned committee, probing the club's tax payments.

Pongsak said he would send the probe result to the BMA Permanent Secretary Office's civil servant division to check if there was sufficient evidence to proceed with disciplinary punishment. If there were not, further investigation would be done to ensure clarity and justice, he said.

He refrained from saying how long the checking would take, but indicated he wanted officials to work on it quickly.

As for the tax-related accusation, officials had done their duty and the company had belatedly paid its taxes, bringing an end to violation allegations, he said.

Metropolitan Police Area 5 deputy chief Colonel Khajornsak Pansakhon said fire investigators would submit evidence for their supervisors' approval to apply for court-issued arrest warrants on two or three senior BMA officials, and some individuals, who arranged a business operation permit for the club.

This was despite the club's construction plan not being up to Building Control Act standards. The investigators would seek more information from the suspects' supervising agencies, and all should be clear within a week.