The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) is gearing up for a probe into a media report alleging bribes were paid in 2006 for the procurement of a CCTV system for parliament.
NLA vice-president Surachai Liangboonlertchai said he has ordered an NLA committee to determine how to proceed with the bribery scandal.
He said even though the irregularities took place back in 2006 and had nothing to do with the assembly, the NLA will not sit idly because the scandal affects parliament's image as a whole.
Mr Surachai expressed confidence that criminal charges would be pressed against wrongdoers but noted that disciplinary action may not be possible if those responsible for the alleged irregularities had retired from government service.
He said the NLA will have to wait for the initial findings before assessing who will be investigated, adding that a probe into the scandal will be ordered by NLA president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai.
The irregularities were said to involve the renovation of parliament in which a contractor reportedly paid bribes to a consultant to secure a contract to install CCTV cameras.
According to the US Securities and Exchange Commission website, Tyco's subsidiary in Thailand had a contract to install a CCTV system in Parliament House in 2006, and paid more than $50,000 to a Thai entity that acted as a consultant. The invoice for the payment refers to "renovation work", but Tyco was unable to ascertain what, if any, work was actually done.
The parliament bribery scandal has come light following two major scandals involving Thai state enterprises.
One involved the purchase by Thai Airways International of Rolls-Royce aircraft engines. The British company claimed it paid off "agents of the state of Thailand and employees of Thai Airways" when it negotiated a series of deals covering three periods.
The other involved the Metropolitan Electricity Authority, the Provincial Electricity Authority and TOT Plc after the US Department of Justice took legal action against Kentucky-based General Cable Corporation, a manufacturer and distributor of cable and wire.