High-ranking police ensnared in dragnet
About 40 highway police allegedly involved in a scheme to take kickbacks from illegally overloaded trucks by issuing so-called “bribe stickers” will be transferred to inactive posts, Pol Maj Gen Jaroonkiat Pankaew, the Counter Corruption Division (CCD) commander, said on Thursday.
Speaking in his capacity as the acting Highway Police Division (HPD) commander, he said the suspects were both commissioned and non-commissioned officers up to the rank of lieutenant colonel.
They will be ordered to perform temporary duties at the HPD this week, said Pol Maj Gen Jaroonkiat.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Inspector-General (OIG) of the Royal Thai Police is being urged to wrap up its probe into the matter within 15 days.
According to Pol Gen Visanu Prasarttong-Osoth, a police inspector-general, both legal action and disciplinary measures will be taken against any officers found to have been involved in the scheme.
The statement came after Move Forward Party (MFP) MP-elect Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn and Land Transport Federation of Thailand (LTFT) chairman Apichart Prairungruang submitted evidence regarding the matter to the OIG on Thursday..
Mr Wiroj, who brought the matter to light on his social media accounts last week, said the evidence was compiled from the LTFT and members of the public.
He said he received positive feedback from the OIG and the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) regarding the evidence, adding he is now relying on the police to probe deeper into the case.
Yet Mr Wiroj expressed concern about how the police would handle such a case that impugns their reputation, for example, by using the truck drivers as scapegoats or trying to pin the blame on lorries being “accidentally overweight”, especially for those that broke the law by up to 200 kilogrammes.
Mr Apichart said this is the first time in 20 years that personnel from the OIG had heard of such bribes.
Commenting on an open letter that some LTFT members sent this week to the MFP expressing their disappointment at the federation’s apparent lack of transparency, Mr Apichart said he hopes to engage in dialogue with them.
In other news, Move Forward Party (MFP) leader and prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat met with the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand (ACT) yesterday to discuss adapting AI to fight graft on public-invested projects, especially vis-a-vis site inspections.
The policy should be ready within 100 days, said Mr Pita, adding that more discussions with the ACT are needed first to hammer out details.