Thai health official’s family embroiled in 50 million baht corruption case
Public Health Minister Chalnan Srikaew today revealed a corruption case involving a senior official from the Department of Medical Science, her daughter, and her son-in-law. The trio was involved in fraudulent activities, falsifying documents, and misappropriation of funds causing over 50 million baht in damages.
Chalnan yesterday received a report from Yongyos Thamwutti, the acting director of the Department of Medical Science. The case was already under the scrutiny of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) following a complaint. The previous director had been monitoring the situation and passed the case on to the new director who collaborated with the NACC.
The implicated individuals were promptly removed from their positions pending investigation. Once clear evidence was obtained, legal proceedings were initiated by the NACC. The corruption managed to slip through the existing checks and balances, highlighting flaws in the system.
This incident has led to a comprehensive review and overhaul of the procurement process across all departments. Chalnan and the Permanent Secretary of the Public Health Ministry discussed the need to improve internal auditing and monitoring procedures.
The investigation will determine if the misappropriated funds were misused. If found guilty, the money will have to be returned. As for disciplinary action, it will be in line with the law. The criminal proceedings will be handled by the court, while disciplinary actions will be expedited.
The corruption case serves as a wake-up call for the department, and the opportunity will be taken to improve systems and procedures. Normally, for disciplinary actions against civil servants, a committee is set up to investigate the facts.
If the allegations are found to be true, a disciplinary committee will be established. There are two levels of disciplinary punishment, less severe, which includes probation, salary cuts, and demotion, and severe, which could result in termination or dismissal, reported KhaoSod.
