Police apprehend a senior civil works technician at the Lat Krabang District Office, alleging extortion of 50,000 baht for construction permits with CCTV footage as evidence.
CCTV cameras captured Mr. Wirot, a 59-year-old civil works technician, working at his desk before officers raided the room, arresting him and accusing him of illegally demanding illicit gain from a permit applicant.
Authorities are gathering evidence to submit a complaint to the Anti-Corruption Division (ACD) to seek justice because Mr. Wirot repeatedly demanded money from building permit applicants to facilitate their construction projects.
Pol. Col. Thanawat Hinyokhin, superintendent of the ACD, said that in this case, the complainant had applied for a residential and commercial building permit for a 400-square-meter area since late 2022. Mr. Wirot repeatedly requested amendments to the permit application, but it was never approved. Finally, Mr. Wirot sent a modified building permit and intentionally left the space for signatures blank, demanding a 50,000-baht bribe in exchange for his signature. Frustrated, the complainant decided to report the incident to the authorities. Preliminary investigations have led to the immediate suspension of the accused, and a more extensive inquiry is ongoing.
Mr. Poomvisan Kasemsuk, Secretary-General of the Office of Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) indicated that the corruption case involving illicit gains from building permits is currently under financial scrutiny. Authorities believe that the corruption network extends beyond one individual and are considering whether higher-ranking officials may also be involved. The investigation is still expanding.
In response to the incident, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has established a disciplinary committee to investigate severe misconduct allegations and has suspended the implicated officer. Further investigation is being conducted to find more accomplices.
Bangkok governor Mr. Chadchat Sittipunt emphasized that the city administration does not tolerate corruption and urged citizens to report any corrupt activities by government officials through the Traffy Fondue platform.
Presently, more than 100 corruption-related cases have been reported, but thorough investigations will take time to find evidence. (TNA)
