The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) and public prosecutors have jointly investigated and will file charges against two former ministers and two high-ranking officials at the Ministry of Labor for allegedly receiving kickbacks of 36 million baht in exporting Thai workers to pick wild berries in Finland.
They will press the charges with the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) for further legal proceedings.
This case began with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Thai embassy in Helsinki providing assistance to Thai laborers who went to work harvesting wild berries in Finland legally but they became victims of human trafficking. After they returned to Thailand, the ministry forwarded the case to the DSI for investigation.
Receiving evidence from Finnish authorities, the DSI found there was a collusion involving politicians, government officials, and civilians, demanding kickbacks from a Thai job broker to pay 3,000 baht per each worker.
The broker collected the money in addition to the actual expenses from the workers deployed to work abroad between 2020-2023, amounting to a total sum of around 36 million baht.
Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong said that there is clear evidence implicating the four individuals in taking bribes. The evidence primarily consists of financial transactions obtained from the Finnish police.
Additionally, there is support for the allegations from both the Human Rights Commission and labor groups in Chaiyaphum province, he added. -819 (TNA)
