DSI officials prosecuted for alleged corruption
Former Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin, alongside three confidants, launched a lawsuit against top officials of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI).
The former DSI director-general, the acting DSI director-general, and the director of the Human Trafficking Cases Division were accused of being involved in a corrupt scheme.
Suchart, flanked by his associates, addressed the media with a bombshell revelation. According to him, the trio of officials allegedly implicated them in a dubious plot, demanding a staggering 3,000 baht kickback from each Thai worker engaged in strawberry picking in Finland between 2020 and 2023.
Strikingly, the 49 year old expressed his dismay at the lack of any official summons for questioning, even though he served as the labour minister during the contentious period. Instead, the DSI swiftly dispatched its findings to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), leaving Suchart bewildered.
Undeterred, the Chon Buri-born Suchart firmly asserted that this ordeal was a politically motivated attempt to tarnish his reputation, reported Thai PBS World.
Despite the turmoil surrounding him, he conceded that he did investigate multiple complaints about kickback demands from workers. Notably, he clarified that work agreements between Thai labourers and private employment services governed the arrangements for employment in Finland.
In related news, Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong stepped forward to support the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) as it investigates accusations of bribery and human trafficking levelled against two previous Cabinet ministers and two high-ranking officials involved in the supply of Thai labour to Finland.
In other news, amid a crackdown on child exploitation, a special operation by the Department of Administrative Services, and Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, successfully targeted four locations in Bangkok and Pathum Thani, arresting a notorious human trafficking operation known as Sex Creator.
The group is accused of exploiting a 16 year old girl by filming explicit content for sale on global online platforms, unbeknownst to the girl, who was only paid for her appearance.
