MFP demands public access to graft report
PUBLISHED : 30 Jul 2024 at 05:28
The opposition Move Forward Party (MFP) demanded that the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) reveal the findings of its investigations into alleged corruption in a procurement programme for gym equipment.
Suphanat Meenchainan, the MFP MP for Chatuchak, Bang Khen, and Lak Si, said on Monday that the procurement irregularities surfaced publicly online in June.
The BMA was allegedly involved in procurement irregularities at nine of its sports centres, with damages totalling 103.2 million baht.
As a result, Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt ordered a probe and asked his officials to wrap it up in 30 days, said Mr Suphanat.
But, the MP said that none of the probe findings have been made public since its July 19 deadline passed.
Mr Suphanat said the only information was given on July 24, when Mr Chadchart reportedly said that the probe’s findings into the case had been deemed confidential.
Mr Suphanat added that no clear statement was made on whether the procurement was corrupted.
He said he would like to advise the BMA to use the “three-levelled lock” theory to explain the procurement’s alleged corruption.
Mr Suphanat said the officials involved in the procurement will each have a piece of gym equipment with some locked-in specifications, and they lock in a middle market cost to be as high as possible.
He said the contractor is also locked in using the minimum budget for each project since the BMA does not have any procurement standard requirements.
Corruption in gym equipment procurement is normal in the country, he said, as the Comptroller General’s Department does not limit a middle budget for such procurement.
Pattaraporn Kengrungreaungchai, the Bangkok Council member for Bang Sue district, also revealed that she had proposed a probe into the council’s agenda, but a meeting on the matter was cancelled before any discussion was held.
Ms Pattaraporn said that the alleged corruption is a result of “twisted” procurement measures.
She said that only a few contractors won procurement bids, yet they would drop out of the race after an opponent filed a petition about unfair contracts.
Ms Pattaraporn demanded the results of the probe be disclosed to the public.