Niphon Bunyamanee resigned as deputy interior minister to fight a court case in which he was charged with failing to pay for multi-purpose road maintenance vehicles during his previous tenure as the president of the Songkhla provincial administrative organization.
Mr Niphon said at the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases that he informed Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Jurin Laksanawisit, leader of his Democrat Party, of his resignation as the deputy interior minister.
He said that he wanted to focus on his court case and prevent any criticism that he could abuse his deputy minister’s position in favor of his defence.
Mr Niphon was at the court today as the National Anti-Corruption Commission arraigned him on his failure to pay for the multi-purpose road maintenance vehicles that the Songkhla provincial administrative organization ordered.
He wrote on his Facebook account that he could not make the payment because contenders forged documents, colluded in the bidding contest of the procurement project and thus damaged the provincial administrative organization.
The Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases, Region 9, issued warrants for the arrest of all contenders including the winning bidder and its subsidiary. Most suspects fled the country and public prosecutors already brought arrested suspects to the regional court, Mr Niphon wrote. (TNA)
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