An excise director has been suspended and will face severe disciplinary action for trying to persuade police to release an oil-smuggling truck, according to the Excise Department.
An investigation found that the director for crime prevention and suppression was the individual who made a phone call to a police officer, requesting the release of the truck that was transporting 15,000 litres of smuggled oil, Excise Department deputy director-general Kriangkrai Pattanaporn said on Thursday.
On June 3, Anti-Corruption Division police stopped the truck and apprehended its 47-year-old driver, identified only as Sombat, in Prachuap Khiri Khan province. The truck was allegedly en route from the southern provinnce of Songkhla to the central province of Pathum Thani.
The director, whose identity has been withheld, was suspended on Tuesday and will face serious disciplinary measures, Mr Kriangkrai said.
The department is also expanding its investigation to determine if any other officials were involved, he said.
Earlier, crime activist Atchariya Ruangratanapong said the truck was part of a big oil-smuggling network.