PUBLISHED: 24 Apr 2024 at 17: 24
The National Anti-Corruption Commission ( NAC ) has established proof that four PTT Exploration and Production Plc ( PTTEP ) executives conspired to rig the bids for a nearly$ a billion baht equipment procurement contract that Rolls-Royce was awarded and implemented between 2004 and 2008.
The NACC did forth its findings to the Office of the Attorney- General ( OAG ), along with a demand that it to acquire indicting the four PTTEP managers, NACC director- general , Niwatchai Kasemmongkol said on Wednesday.
The NACC then believes Chitrapongse Kwangsukstith, Anucha Sihanatkathakul, Maroot Mrigadat and Phaphadet Worabut colluded to manipulate , the bidding to support Rolls- Royce Plc, a company based in the UK, secure the deal to offer PTTEP with two gas engine turbines for US$ 24.66 million (996 million baht ), Mr Niwatchai said.
Mr. Maroot was the leader of PTTEP at the time, and he claimed that he and Mr. Chitrapongse and Anucha were people of an ad hoc committee created by PTTEP to manage the purchasing job.
Chulasing Wasansing, the other part of the committee, died while the NACC was investigating this event.
The other important think, Phaophadet Worabut, was originally assistant supervisor of PTTEP’s maritime work unit. In its analysis, the NACC discovered that he coordinated the reported settlement of money.
The NACC may then ask the OAG to acquire indicting this believe also, for alleged bidding price collusion, money laundering and corruption, Mr Niwatchai said.
According to him, the NACC investigation revealed that Mr. Phaophadet had been a recipient of a bribe from Rolls Royce Energy Systems Inc. through Quantumec ( Thailand ) Co.
Claimed to be a committee, the pay was transferred to a bank account held by a man near to Mr Phaophadet, Mr Niwatchai said.
After data from the United States suggested this was a significant part of the wider Rolls-Royce fraud incident that took place in Thailand and involved PTTEP’s purchasing project, the NACC began its investigation into the corruption situation.
The US Serious Fraud Office ( SFO ) in 2017 entered a significant Deferred Prosecution Agreement ( DPA ) with Rolls- Royce Plc, which followed the SFO’s four- year investigation into bribery and corruption, a probe which continues into the conduct of certain individuals.
The carry covered by the DPA took position across seven states- Indonesia, Thailand, India, Russia, Nigeria, China and Malaysia.