5,000 officials to lose jobs in civil service exam rigging scandal

All key suspects in the civil service exam rigging scandal have been arrested, the officials who conspired with them will be charged and exam cheats will lose their jobs, senior officials said on Tuesday. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, also interior minister, said the three key suspects in the rigging of results of local government entry examinations nationwide were in custody. Police investigators continued to gather evidence and compile the full case against them. The truth would be revealed to the public, he said. The prime minister’s comments follow the arrest of Win Thanaphatcharaphokin, an adviser to the director of the Office of Promotion and Training at Kasetsart University; his younger sister, Sataporn Thanaphatcharaphokin; and Pichit Thangphrom, former director of the Strategy and Budget Division of Wichian Buri Municipality in Phetchabun province. As interior minister, Mr Anutin supervises the Department of Local Administration (DLA), which is at the centre of the scandal. Pol Lt Gen Nathasak Chaonasai, commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau, said the three prime suspects arranged for 11 civil servants to change the scores of thousands of exam sitters, at Mr Pichit’s house in Nonthaburi province. He said the 11 officials would next week face the same three charges that were pressed against the prime suspects — illegal assembly, document forgery and putting false information into a computer system. Detectives would also find out who gave the exam-scores files to Mr Pichit, he said. Unsit Sampuntharat, the permanent secretary for interior, said the investigation had found irregularities in the exam scores of about 5,000 new local government officials out of the 15,000 hired this year. They would probably lose their jobs. He confirmed that everyone found involved in the rigging of the exam would face legal action. About 400,000 people sat the exams that the DLA organised late last year to fill 6,700 positions. Thousands of candidates paid bribes ranging from 350,000 to 800,000 baht, depending on the desired positions, to ensure they got a passing grade. When questioned about allegations that people connected to the examination fraud network may have links to senior figures in the Bhumjaithai Party, Mr Anutin insisted that anyone found to be involved would face legal consequences. “If it involves anyone, action will be taken against them all,” he said. Pressed on whether senior party figures would also be subject to investigation, he replied: “Certainly. If they are members of the party, there will be no exceptions. Whoever is involved must be dealt with according to the law and prosecuted.”