Britain-based Rolls Royce company has turned down request by Thai Airways International for information about bribery scandal concerning THAI’s procurement of Rolls Royce aircraft engines, THAI president Jarumporn Chotikasathien said on Friday.
Rolls Royce reasoned that it could not part with information implicating certain individuals who were involved in the bribery scandal, said Jarumporn, adding, however, that the Serious Fraud Office appears to be more responsive to THAI’s request for information, saying it will consider within 20 days whether the request will be granted or not.
THAI set up a committee to investigate the bribery scandal. The panel, initially, probes into the procurement of aircraft engines and maintenance during the period starting from 2012 until this year.
Jarumporn said that, during this period, THAI had already tightened up its procurement process with more transparency whereas, Rolls Royce, during the same period, had stopped using intermediaries as sale agents.
As for the three periods starting from 1991 until 2005 – 1991-1992, 1992-1997 and 2004-2005 – during which bribery amount to over 1.2 billion baht were paid by Rolls Royce to several personalities in Thailand, the THAI president said he would consult with the National Anti-Corruption Commission which period will be investigated first.
