Corrupt BMA official busted: Bangkok bribery scandal exposed

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) launched a disciplinary committee to investigate a shocking corruption case involving a high-ranking Public Works Department official.

Anti-corruption police and the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission made headlines yesterday with the arrest of Peempong, a key suspect in a major bribery scandal. Three other suspects were apprehended in coordinated raids.

During the dramatic raid on Peempong’s house in Nonthaburi province, authorities uncovered a staggering array of luxury items: a Mercedes Benz, a Toyota, five Harley Davidson motorcycles, and pawn shop tickets valued at approximately three million baht. A deep dive into his bank accounts revealed that Peempong’s assets total around 79 million baht.

The four suspects are accused of demanding a 9-million-baht bribe from the owner of a golf course in Bangkok’s Suwinthawong area. They claimed they could alter the design of a road construction project that was supposed to cut across the golf course, linking Suwinthawong with Liab Waree roads. To sweeten the deal, they promised to build a tunnel under the golf course to avoid disruption.

The scam, which began in 2018, unravelled last year when the golf course owner discovered there was no such road project, reported Thai PBS World.

Furious, the owner filed a complaint with the anti-corruption police, triggering an investigation that culminated in yesterday’s arrests of Peempong and his accomplices.

In related news, the legal team of Police Commissioner-General Police General Torsak Sukvimol is gearing up to take down a high-profile celebrity lawyer who pointed his finger at the police chief in the bribery case. Lawyer Suteepong Chevitcharoen, flanked by Atchariya Ruangrattanapong, chairman of the Crime Victims Assistance Club and a key member of Torsak’s legal defence squad, made the announcement.

In other news, Thai police arrested four individuals, including a man impersonating a high-ranking officer, who attempted to bribe law enforcement to release detained Chinese suspects.