Charges mulled over job placement ‘graft’
PUBLISHED : 13 Jan 2024 at 08:24
Former labour minister Suchart Chomklin has set up a legal team to advise him on what to do next after he was implicated in a bribery and human trafficking case involving the sending of Thai workers to Finland to pick berries.
Mr Suchart has strongly denied being paid or getting involved in human trafficking activities in the job placement scheme.
The case is currently being investigated by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI). In a statement this week, the DSI said it is pursuing malfeasance charges against two former ministers and two high-level officials at the Labour Ministry, without naming names, over the alleged payment of 36 million baht for approving Thai workers to be sent to Finland.
Millions of baht were circulated in the bank accounts of the two former ministers, and the alleged payments occurred from 2020 to 2023, the DSI said.
Mr Suchart, who started serving as labour minister in August 2020, said he has appointed a team of lawyers to advise him and at this stage, no charges have been pressed against him.
“I insist on my innocence, and if the anti-graft agency finds no grounds in the allegations, what will the DSI do to compensate me?” he said.
Mr Suchart also said he is being unfairly treated because the allegations against him are made by a female broker who has no evidence to substantiate them. He claimed the broker faced legal actions in Finland and implicated senior officials to secure her release.
“Press the charges instead of making accusations. They said two former ministers during 2020-2023, so the finger was pointed at me too,” he said when asked about the DSI’s claim about the money trail.
DSI spokesman Woranan Srilam said on Fridaythe case would be forwarded to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) because it involves political office holders and state officials, which falls under NACC jurisdiction.
He said the case would be sent to the anti-graft agency within 30 days as required by Section 61 of the charter. In a report, the four are accused of violating Section 149 and Section 157 of the Criminal Code.
The DSI launched the investigation after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the agency that Thai workers who worked as fruit pickers in Finland reportedly fell victim to human trafficking.