Scandal unearthed: Thai minister’s wife faces corruption charges over 20 million baht construction project

Rodjana Kantinan, the spouse of Kriang Kantinan, Deputy Interior Minister and a member of the Pheu Thai Party, is currently under investigation for allegations of malfeasance surrounding a construction project. The project in question unfolded in 2012 during Rodjana’s tenure as the Mayor of Nakhon Ubon Ratchathani Municipality, situated within the Ubon Ratchathani province.

Isranews Agency reported on Monday that Rodjana, along with two other suspects, surrendered themselves to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC). The report suggested that another individual failed to appear before the NACC, leading the commission to seek an arrest warrant.

Between the years 2009 and 2013, Rodjana faced serious allegations, including the wrongful exercise of purchasing or managing state property, showing a personal vested interest in governmental assets, and the improper execution of her official duties.

In 2021, the NACC previously labelled a project, which involved the construction of a road and a wastewater treatment tank and implicated Rodjana along with three other individuals, as an act of malfeasance. Despite these charges, the Office of the Attorney General has subsequently opted to dismiss the case.

In a bid to reinitiate the proceedings, the NACC has filed a lawsuit against the accused at the Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Case Region 3. The contentious project involved granting a concession to Ubon Ratchathani contractor Koondee Enterprise LP.

The contractor received a budget of 9.9 million baht for refurbishing wastewater treatment tank dikes and another 9.9 million baht for building a road linking the tank to the Burapa Canal.

The NACC claimed that the road was intentionally routed through Rodjana’s 27-rai land to enhance the property’s value, leading to a cost of 19,974,000 baht to the government.

The current mayor of the Nakhon Ubon Ratchathani Municipality is the wife of Worasit Kantinan, a Pheu Thai MP candidate for Ubon Ratchathani and Kriang’s son, Bangkok Post reported.

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