Local bodies cop most graft complaints

Local administrative organisations (LAOs) faced most graft complaints last year, the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) says.

The watchdog has presented its report for the year which said 17.35% of the complaints filed last year targeted LAOs and 15.11% took aim at the Interior Ministry. The Royal Thai Police (RTP) was hit with 9.9% of the complaints, the Education Ministry with 4.1% and the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry with 2.3%.

The top five provinces hit by complaints are Bangkok (13.19%), Nakhon Ratchasima (3.19%), Chiang Mai (2.9%), Ubon Ratchathani (2.6%) and Nakhon Sawan (2.59%).

The PACC says 41.19% of the complaints concern abuse of authority and negligence of duty while 9.9% involve embezzlement, fraud and unlawfully withdrawing state funds. Other complaints concern government projects (9.58%), irregularities in procurement projects, including demanding bribes (9%) and the rice-pledging scheme (6.85%).

Based on the channels where complaints reached the PACC, they cover written or direct complaints (47.1%), investigators of the RTP (23.49%), the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) (10.9%), www.pacc.go.th (10.69%) and Hotline 1206 (6.7%).

According to the PACC, the agency ruled on 40 cases for criminal and disciplinary action last year. It decided to return 13 to police investigators and hand five to the NACC.

It opted to end its investigation into 26 cases as no grounds for guilt were found or the suspects had died.

Last year, in the evidence gathering process, the PACC agreed to take 1,175 cases for deliberation and return 82 to investigators. It decided to send 1,345 to the NACC and refused to take 888 cases.