Thai official sacked after exposing 500-million-baht inheritance fraud
A government official is seeking justice after being dismissed for exposing alleged corruption and document fraud linked to a 500-million-baht inheritance.
The victim, Thanyarot, sought assistance from non-profit organisation Saimai Survive after being sacked from her workplace of 10 years for exposing the truth. She stated that some colleagues accused her of unethical behaviour, which ultimately led to her dismissal.
Thanyarot explained that her ordeal involved a deceased millionaire and her housemaid. The housemaid claimed to be the millionaire’s adopted daughter, asserting her right to an inheritance worth about 500 million baht.
However, the millionaire’s biological family disputed the housemaid’s claim and sought proof of her alleged adoptive status.
As an official in the registration department responsible for adoption records, Thanyarot had no prior knowledge of the millionaire signing any adoption documents before her death. Upon investigating, she discovered evidence of corruption.
Thanyarot revealed that, as a registered official, she was responsible for signing documents in the official’s section. However, her name was falsely placed in the witness section of the housemaid’s adoption document. Moreover, the signature was completely different.
Thanyarot suspected the housemaid and certain government officials colluded to forge the document in an attempt to claim the inheritance.
Thanyarot reported the matter to the Mueang Samut Sakhon Police Station, stating that her signature was fraudulently used in a criminal act. She also testified in court, affirming that the millionaire had never adopted the housemaid and that the document was counterfeit.
Earlier this year, the court ruled to nullify the adoption document, declaring that the housemaid had no legal claim to the inheritance. During the trial, a colleague admitted to forging Thanyarot’s signature on the document.
Following the verdict, three colleagues approached Thanyarot, urging her to drop the legal charges against the suspect but she refused. The housemaid’s husband also attempted to bribe her for cooperation, which she declined.
Subsequently, her colleagues accused her of unethical behaviour, resulting in her dismissal. Ironically, the suspect who forged her signature remains employed at the organisation.
Thanyarot suspects that some officials were motivated by the potential personal gains they stood to receive if the housemaid successfully claimed the inheritance.
Further updates on the case are yet to be reported.
