Democrats have urged Panita Kambhu na Ayutthaya, who was abruptly transferred from her post as Social Development and Human Security Ministry permanent secretary, to fight back against the cabinet decision.
Panita: Gathering evidence for defence
Democrat Party list MP and former social development and human security minister Issara Somchai said the transfer was unusual and there was no adequate reason for it.
If there was no clear proof she had committed an offence as alleged, the transfer could be deemed as an attempt to bully a civil servant, Mr Issara said.
Mr Issara said Mr Santi should have set up a committee to investigate the allegation before deciding to transfer her.
Mr Issara added that while he was minister, Ms Panita was a good civil servant.
"Ms Panita must come out to fight, otherwise civil servants will lose morale," Mr Issara said, adding that Ms Panita had no affiliation with the Democrat Party.
Mr Issara said he had appointed Ms Panita as permanent secretary because she was a capable person.
While the Office of the Auditor-General had advised that Ms Panita had misspent 32 million baht of state funds on travel, the Democrats suspect the transfer was related to plans to build new ministry offices.
He said when he was social development and human security minister, he asked for a budget of 800 million baht to build a new headquarters for the ministry.
Bidding for the construction was held on Aug 31 last year during the Yingluck Shinawatra government when Mr Santi was minister, Mr Issara said.
He said the funds for the construction were to have been allocated from the 2011 budget, but Mr Santi has yet to approve the project.
The cabinet on Tuesday approved the abrupt transfer of Ms Panita to the post of adviser to the PM's Office and appointed a committee to launch disciplinary proceedings against her.
Ms Panita will be replaced by Wichien Chawalit, an adviser attached to the PM's Office and a former permanent secretary of the Interior Ministry.
Deputy government spokesman Anusorn Iamsa-ad said yesterday the permanent secretary was being investigated for her ethical standards over some suspicious issues regarding her administration of the ministry.
"The fact that she is being investigated does not mean that she has done anything wrong," he said.
If she is cleared of any wrongdoing, he said, she would not be reinstated immediately. Rather, her case would be reviewed to see if it would be appropriate to reinstate her as permanent secretary or not.
Jaroyporn Thoranin, spokeswoman for the Office of the Civil Service Commission (OCSC), said Ms Panita had 30 days to gather evidence for her defence.
She also said the OCSC was not under any pressure from political forces and would consider the case fairly according to civil service laws.
On the transfer of former National Security Council secretary-general Thawil Pliensri, Ms Jaroyporn said the Office of the Attorney General is in the process of filing the case with an investigative panel.
She said the results of the probe would come out within 30 days.