Suspected graft taints 30 tambon projects

Irregularities have been found in 30 projects in Phetchabun province operating under the government’s scheme to provide each tambon with a 5-million-baht fund, the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) says.

They were among 34 projects audited recently by officials from the PACC, the Office of the Auditor-General, and the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).

PACC secretary-general Prayong Preeyachit said more complaints came in from locals as those projects were being audited which suggest that as many as 69 of 222 projects in 13 tambons of Phetchabun may have been tainted by graft. The projects are worth a total of 62 million baht.

The 69 projects are in tambons Tha Daeng, Wang Thai dee, Nong Phai and Bo Thai, he said.

The 30 projects failed to meet the required standards and there were irregularities in the way they were handled, Mr Prayong said.

The PACC and NACC agreed they should expedite the auditing of all 222 projects to root out all graft, he said.

After they have been examined a full report will be sent to Justice Minister Suwaphan Tanyuvardhana and then passed on to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Mr Prayong said.

Construction projects where problems were found can still be fixed by the contracted builder, if they are at fault, as they have a one-year warranty, Mr Prayong said.

If the problem has not been resolved by the time this warranty expires then the supervising agencies will be held accountable, he said.

Meanwhile, any state officials found to be complicit in graft will face criminal action and disciplinary punishment by their organisations, he said, urging the public to notify the NACC or PACC if they are aware of irregularities in state projects.

The schemes include a road maintenance project in tambon Tha Daeng. Mr Prayong said the concrete surface has already worn down, with a number of steel bars protruding from the ground. This suggests the repair work was substandard, he noted.

Another concerns a road surrounding an exercise yard in tambon Nong Phai, he said. Among other problems, the construction budget as stated on a board at the work site differs from that stipulated in the contract, Mr Prayong said.

The contract says the work to be carried out is equal to more than double the length of the road, which would incur financial losses, he added.