Lists of bribes allegedly made by a reputed oil smuggler in Pattani province show corruption may have touched nearly all government agencies in the South, national police chief Somyot Pumpunmuang said Friday.
At the Royal Thai Police Office in Bangkok, the chief showed two books containing more than 100 pages of alleged bribe recipients. He did not let reporters examine the volumes.
Police chief Somyot Pumpunmuang shows lists of alleged oil smuggling bribe recipients at the Royal Thai Police Office in Bangkok on Friday (Photo by Kosol Nakachol)
He said he called the press conference to confirm that the bribe lists were real and that authorities were not trying to frame Pol Lt Gen Pongpat Chayapan, former commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau.
"I'm here to confirm that the lists of bribe payment by oil smugglers exist and we and we're not making it up," Pol Gen Somyot said.
The lists were seized from a house of Sahachai "Sia Jo" Chiansoemsin, who escaped with the help of a police officer on his way from a court to a prison in the southern province of Pattani after being sentenced to one year and nine months in jail for document forgery in October.
The police chief said information contained in the lists showed that bribery related to oil smuggling occurred for two years.
"They also cover per diems for individuals, payment for information in courts, ... air tickets, red envelopes and many others. Almost all agencies responsible for coastal southern areas are involved," Pol Gen Somyot said.
The implicated agencies will investigate named recipients and the Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) will determine if any of the alleged bribe-takers have illegally acquired assets, the police chief said.
Pol Gen Somyot said Amlo previously complained to him that police units had been slow take legal action against oil smuggling cases, which had blocked asset seizures by the office. He thus ordered the Central Investigation Bureau to speed up smuggling prosecutions.
Among the agencies accused of receiving the bribes were marine police and the Department of Special Investigation. The bribes amounted to tens of millions of baht per year and the biggest bribe - 12 million baht - went to the marine police, Pol Gen Somyot said.
Pol Gen Somyot told reporters that authorities were able to identify the accused recipients easily because the lists showed both the given and nicknames of recipients and their agencies. He said that so many police officers were specified in the lists.
"The lists specify commanders and superintendents. There are real names and nicknames like deputy So and superintendent Yo. People in the Marine Police Division know well who they are. Many other suppressive units with onshore and offshore responsibilities are in the oil smuggling bribery lists," the national police chief said.
Pol Gen Somyot said those proved to have received bribes would face tough disciplinary and criminal actions.