Probe into local government exam fraud closed: PM

PRIME MINISTER Anutin Charnvirakul today (Aug.5) called it closed an in-depth investigation into kickback-generated cheating over exam papers for last year’s recruitment of local government personnel, saying those evidently involved will certainly be punished by law. The prime minister confirmed the official probe conducted by the so-called central committee of the Department of Local Administration has been finished, thus resulting in the criminal prosecution and disciplinary penalties of those found to have been evidently involved in the scandalous fraud over the exams to recruit people as low-ranking officials at municipalities and sub-district administrations, also known as Or Bor Tor, in the provinces nationwide. Anutin said he would ultimately prefer to not know who among politicians in government and regular government officials at the Ministry of Interior may have been more or less involved in the exam cheating and confirmed that all the culprits will consequently have their employment at those local government units terminated whilst some may be sentenced to terms in jail and others subject to disciplinary penalties. “No matter who they are – politicians or government officials, those found to have been illegally involved will certainly be punished by law on account of the investigation which has now come to a close,” the prime minister said. Deputy Prime Minister Pakorn Nilprapan confirmed that the exam fraud conspiracy had evidently involved certain high-ranking government officials but declined to elaborate or name names. According to Deputy Interior Minister Vorasit Liangprasit, currently chair of the department’s central committee, a total of 5,925 officials have been found evidently involved in the exam fraud conspiracy for which one had allegedly paid a range of 200,000 to 700,000 baht in exchange for the doctoring of their exam papers to get “qualified” and hired at those local government units. Out of the 5,925 suspected cheaters, 3,958 who have been reportedly employed as low-ranking officials at those municipalities and sub-district administrations will be immediately dismissed with all their monthly salary and entitlement pay to be fully returned and subject to legal penalties. But criticism remained to the extent that highly-placed politicians in government allegedly involved in the exam fraud would be finally covered and kept from being punished by law whilst only “small fish” would be sacrificed.