Cash con-tractor: Bangkok engineer arrested for alleged extortion

Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) officers arrested a senior engineer at Lat Krabang District Office in Bangkok on a corruption accusation. The official was reportedly accused of extorting 50,000 baht from a construction contractor.

The Office of the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) received a complaint about corruption from a construction contractor. According to the complainant, the senior engineer in question, 59 year old Wiroj, pressured the contractor to pay him by making a lot of edits to the construction plans. It is alleged he requested the contractor to pay 50,000 baht in exchange for a construction permit.

The PACC conducted a further investigation into the matter and found that the complaint was genuine and handed the case over to the CIB to execute the arrest.

The CIB engaged with the construction contractor, urging him to prepare the money, and then arrange a meeting with Wiroj at the district office, set for September 5

On the meeting day, the CIB monitored the district office and witnessed Pairoj taking a paper bag with money from the contractor. The CIB officers swiftly revealed themselves, informing Wiroj of the accusations against him. Wiroj denied the allegation.

Wiroj is now in police custody and initially faces two accusations:

• Section 150 of the Criminal Law: using a government official position to perform or not perform an action for personal benefit. The penalty will be imprisonment from five to 20 years, a fine of 100,000 to 400,000 baht, or both.
• Section 157 of the Criminal Law: using a government official position to illegally perform an act which causes damages to another person. The penalty will be imprisonment from one to 10 years, a fine of 2,000 to 20,000 baht, or both.

Meanwhile, several governmental departments have been targeted by the PACC after the bridge on the Luang Paeng Road collapsed and killed two victims working on the construction project.

The PACC initiated investigations into relevant authorities to ascertain whether their actions or negligence played a role in the incident. While a recent report from July hinted at ongoing investigations, a final report on the matter has yet to surface.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt revealed during a press conference yesterday that he was aware of the corruption a week before an arrest was made. The 57 year old city chief emphasised that he took corruption seriously and would never let corrupt officials escape punishment.

“You can accuse me of inefficiency, but never accuse me of corruption. Transparency should be a fundamental principle guiding all government officials.”

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