PACC seeks S44 action against 100 'corrupt' civil servants

PACC seeks S44 action against 100 'corrupt' civil servants

PACC secretary-general Prayong Preeyajit, accompanied by soldiers and forestry officials, inspects two alleged illegal resorts built in forest reserves in Saraburi  in July last year. (Bangkok Post file photo)
PACC secretary-general Prayong Preeyajit, accompanied by soldiers and forestry officials, inspects two alleged illegal resorts built in forest reserves in Saraburi in July last year. (Bangkok Post file photo)

The Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission on Friday submitted to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha the names of more than 100 government officials it claims are corrupt.

The graft-busting agency covering the civil-service sector made the move in hopes that the junta leader would take swift administrative action through the use of Section 44 of the interim constitution to cut through administrative red tape and quickly impose sanctions.

PACC secretary-general Prayong Preeyachit handed the list of names and supporting evidence to Gen Prayut, who also heads the National Council for Peace and Order, through a representative at the Prime Minister's Office. The anti-corruption campaign is being carried out as part of 11 areas of national reform prioritised by the NCPO.

Mr Prayong said the 100-plus officials on the list, from public-sector organisations across the country, had been accused individually of corruption and the PACC's subsequent investigations found enough evidence to pursue the allegations.

He declined to disclose the names of the accused.

Mr Prayong quoted Gen Prayut as saying that bringing charges against crooked civil servants was a time-consuming process and did not provide immediate results. The general would prefer to see offenders swiftly and decisively slapped with existing disciplinary or administrative penalties.

Any criminal proceedings would proceed normally, he noted. 

Whether Section 44 will be exercised to punish the corrupt officials would depend on the prime minister, Mr Prayong said.

The PACC secretary-general said his agency would continue to submit names of allegedly dishonest public servants to the premier every month. Most of the accused face corruption complaints from four anti-graft agencies, including the PACC, the National Anti-Corruption Commission, the Office of the Auditor General and the Monitoring and Auditing Committee on Fiscal Expenditure.

Asked how the PACC would solve the problem of corrupt high-ranking officials who sometimes get away with their crimes, Mr Prayong admitted a lone anti-graft agency may not have enough authority or evidence to expose them. The PACC needed to team with other agencies, such as the Department of Special Investigation, he said.

"In some cases, if nothing can be done even after we've tried our best, we may need to amend the law," Mr Prayong said, adding that all corrupt officials, regardless of their positions, must be brought to justice.

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