A faculty dean at Burapha University in Chon Buri and a senior woman official have been charged with embezzlement of funds allocated for training courses and academic seminars.
Pol Maj Gen Charoonkiat Pankaew, commander of the Anti-Corruption Division (ACD), on Wednesday led a team to state-run Burapha Univeristy in tambon Saen Suk of Muang district in Chon Buri to press charges against Asst Prof Theeraphong Bualar, 48, dean of the political science and law faculty, and Sayaphat Kittisarawanno, 46, acting head of the dean’s office.
Mr Theeraphong and Ms Sayaphat were charged with colluding in embezzlement, malfeasance in office, abuse of duty to commit graft, dereliction of duty and related offences.
The ACD had received a complaint about alleged irregularities in some of the 47 projects the the university organised, Pol Maj Gen Charookiat said.
Investigators found alleged irregularities in eight training and seminar projects, relating to budget spending.
One was a seminar dealing with ground water resource management. About 1.12 million baht had been allocated for the seminar, which was held from from Jan 7 to Jan 16, 2018. Mr Theeraphong was the project leader and chairman of the project committee and Ms Sayaphat served as a committee member and secretary, he said.
Money was spent for the hiring of three foreign lecturers for the seminar at 150,000 baht each, or 450,000 baht in total.
However, immigration records showed that the three lecturers entered Thailand on Feb 2, 2017 and left the country on Feb 6, 2017. There was no record of their having returned since then, Pol Maj Gen Charoonkiat said.
There were no lectures given via video conference at the seminar.
The investigators also found that no training was organised as claimed. This suggested there was misuse of the budgeted funds, he said.
During questioning, Mr Theeraphong and Ms Sayaphat denied all charges.
They were taken to Saen Suk police station for fingerprinting and to acknowledge the charges, and then released. Police said they would be called in later to meet investigators.