The former rector of the King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Lat Krabang (KMITL) yesterday denied involvement in a scheme to siphon 1.6 billion baht from the institute.
Thawil Phuengma, left, ex-rector of the King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Lat Krabang, and former assistant Sapasit Nimnorarat, answered police questions yesterday about the alleged embezzlement of 1.6 billion baht from the university. Apichart Jinakul
Speaking before testifying to Crime Suppression Division (CSD) police yesterday, Thawil Phuengma said he was neither involved in the scam, nor aware of the embezzlement.
He was accompanied by his then assistant Sapasit Nimnorarat, who was also there to help police. Mr Thawil welcomed the inquiry, saying he had declared his assets properly when he was in office.
Mr Thawil said the institute's financial department is authorised to put the institute's money in bank accounts, with permission from the rector. He insisted that when he was rector, no money was lost from the institute's bank accounts.
Scrutiny of the accounts is carried out by both internal and external investigators, including those from the Office of the Auditor-General (OAG).
Mr Thawil said documents he reviewed bore the correct signatures for withdrawals and deposits from the institute's bank accounts, and he is not concerned about them.
He conceded, however, that if the documents had been forged, he may not have been aware of it.
The embezzlement scam came to light after the KMITL filed a complaint with the CSD on Dec 16 against Songklod Sriprasong, 40, former manager of Bank of Ayudhya's Big C Srinakarin branch, and Amporn Noisamrit, 56, head of the KMITL's financial division. The university said it had found financial irregularities and asked police to investigate.
The complaint accused both of being responsible for the disappearance of the technology institute's money between 2012 and 2014.
Mr Thawil, who was rector from July 2012 to November 2013, said Ms Amporn was his subordinate. He was also acquainted with Mr Songklod as he regularly met him at the bank.
He denied knowing others who are allegedly involved with the embezzlement.
Apart from Mr Songklod and Ms Amporn, police have pressed charges of document forgery, theft and money laundering against six others: Poonsak Boonsawat, Jariwat Sahapornudomkarn, Somphong Sahapornudomkarn, Kittisak Muttujad, Sombat Sopradit and Chanchira Sopradit.
Mr Poonsak and Mr Jariwat have been arrested. The rest remain at large.
Mr Thawil insisted the internal financial scrutiny process was strong at the institute. When no problems were detected, he simply signed his approval.
He would also ask Ms Amporn, who was head of the KMITL's financial division for four years, about any irregularities. He saw no indication she was stealing money from the KMITL.
Investigators discovered that Ms Amporn had told a KMITL committee on Oct 1 that 50 million baht of the institute's cash deposited with the Bank of Ayudhya's KMITL branch was earning only a small amount of interest.
She proposed the money be withdrawn and transferred to the bank's Big C Srinakarin branch, where Mr Songklod was a manager.
Mr Thawil said he could not recall details about that money, which was withdrawn from the KMITL's account to buy a cashier's cheque for deposit at the bank.
"Regarding documents involving the institute's coffers, I do not remember how many I signed off on," Mr Thawil said.
"Dozens of millions of baht are deposited each time to take advantage of higher interest rates."
Kitti Teeraset, another ex-KMITL rector who served in 2012, and his former assistant Somsak Kuhasawanwech, failed to meet CSD officers as scheduled yesterday, citing their busy work schedules.
Meanwhile, actor Pakorn "Boy" Chatborirak yesterday turned up at the CSD office to give his account after police found he bought a Lamborghini from Mr Kittisak.
He presented two passbooks spanning three months of financial records to the officers, who said they have not found evidence he was involved in the embezzlement.