for their alleged role in procuring overpriced digital clocks
for parliament, paying 15 million baht in 2013 for the timepieces,
according to the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)
committee scrutinising state budget spending. The NCPO
committee on Friday said the 10 civil servants attached to
parliament are charged with dereliction of duty in violation
of Section 157 of the Criminal Code for allegedly setting
the terms for purchasing more than 200 digital timepieces
valued at 15 million baht to replace wall-mounted analogue
clocks in parliament in 2013. Among those facing charges
is Watcharachai or Suwichak Nakwatcharachai, the former
secretary-general of the House of Representatives, who
claimed the fancy clocks would help spruce up the
parliament's image. The charges were filed against the
10 officials by the Lower House Secretariat Office.
The NCPO committee's investigation was launched after
the Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) found in July
last year that the procurement of the expensive timepieces lacked transparency. The OAG sent a letter to Jare Phanpreaung,
secretary-general of the House of Representatives, to inform
him of its findings. After receiving the letter, the Secretariat
of the House compiled documents on the transaction and
lodged a police complaint seeking legal action against
the officials.
The NCPO committee later decided to look into the
procurement scandal based on the OAG findings.
A disciplinary panel has been set up to investigate the officials,
including one who holds C11 rank, the highest status in parliament.
If the C11 official is found guilty by the disciplinary panel,
a salary cut of up to 4% would be imposed. Mid-ranking C5
to C9 officials would face 2-4% pay reductions.
The clock procurement scandal is one of seven transactions
undertaken by parliament and facing NCPO scrutiny.
Another project, wrapped up earlier,
was the 13-million-baht
renovation of the base of the King Rama VII statue in
front
of parliament. Eleven officials were involved in allegedly
inflating the
cost of the project. The committee has filed
the complaints against the
officials for both cases with
Dusit district police. The panel also contacted
the National
Anti-Corruption Commission to look into the issues.
The NCPO
committee is now looking into an outsourced
waste disposal project costing 2.3 million baht; a subcontracted
pest control
service for 6.1 million baht; maintenance of a
fitness room and training room
costing 27.5 million baht;
toilet maintenance for 16.8 million baht; the
construction
of a souvenir store and a petitions office
for 3.8 million baht;
and maintenance of roads, a drainage system and a rubbish
storage building costing one million baht.
The panel is also considering whether it
should examine
three more projects, one of which is a 36-million-baht
maintenance charge for a room used for deliberating
the national budget,
according to the source.
News,Politics,Bangkok Post,22 August 2015.
In my viewpoint, House clock ‘s price bought
for using
in the parliament was very high ,and many of observer
in social media suspected and talked about it ,sometimes
with humor
sense because despite the high price ,the clocks
often died (out of function).
I am glad that the NCPO committee investigate
this case
and other cases also ,Hope that it can lead to the new
era of
the parliament to be more beautiful good image with least
or zero corruption.
This is can also be the hope for get rid of
corruption from
the Thai society if the case investigate seriously and can
rule guily to the persons who involve.
Hope for zero corruption in the society.
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