Chadchart exposes Bangkok curruption: Civil engineer demands 300,000 baht bribe

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt revealed that a Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) civil engineer attempted to solicit a 300,000 baht bribe from a construction company. The governor stands firm to take appropriate action by dismissing the corrupt officer.

Chadchart together with the chiefs of 50 districts in Bangkok had a meeting yesterday at 8.30am. During the meeting, the governor stressed the importance of transparency and seized the opportunity to address the recent corruption case. Chadchart said…

“We got a lot of complaints about corruption. For example, yesterday, from an officer from the BMA Public Work Section. The leader was my friend. This should never have occurred. According to the law, the construction company agreed to pay the BMA a fee of 50,000 baht. However, the civil engineer, exceeding his authority, demanded a staggering 300,000 baht. I know who he is, and I have evidence. He should be fired. If not, people will see that we cannot improve the corruption situation.”

The 57 year old Chadchart also emphasised each district chief to monitor their team members. He said…

“The district chief should not ignore corruption within the teams. If your team members have erred, you must accept it and fulfil your responsibilities. I do not seek to lay blame on the district chiefs. I simply want to highlight the importance of leaders looking after their team members. I am pretty worried about the corruption issue.”

According to a report by ThaiRath, the civil engineer mentioned by Governor Chadchart served at the Pathumwan district office. His responsibilities included collecting permission fees from construction companies operating within the district. While the legally mandated fee amounted to 50,000 baht, he demanded 300,000 to 350,000 baht.

Unfortunately for the engineer, the construction company refused to comply with his illicit demands and filed a complaint to the BMA.

The media reported that the corrupt engineer would be transferred out of the district within the next one to two days. Furthermore, his employment status may be suspended during the investigation of the case. Should the accusations against him be substantiated, the officer will face dismissal.