The Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) has found that more than 97 million baht in funds for the destitute at welfare centres in 44 provinces has gone missing.
PACC assistant secretary-general Wannop Somjintanakul yesterday revealed progress in the probe into budget spending at 76 welfare centres.
A total of 15 teams were set up on Feb 13 to probe 76 welfare centres, with the focus on those which received at least 1 million baht each.
The teams found alleged irregularities involving budget spending at welfare centres in 44 provinces, which have received combined budget allocations worth more than 97 million baht.
Of the 44 cases, the PACC has accepted seven cases in Khon Kaen, Chiang Mai, Bung Kan, Nong Khai, Surat Thani, Trat and Nan for further investigation.
The probe teams are in the process of submitting the remaining 37 cases to the PACC, Pol Lt Col Wannop said.
PACC investigators are also probing irregularities at 32 other centres, with combined budget allocations worth more than 25 million baht, he said.
The PACC, which is probing the role played by staff in embezzling state assistance money intended for the poor, has uncovered various tactics officials used.
PACC investigators found several methods which unscrupulous officials came up with to steal the money.
The methods were different in how they were executed but all of them required tampering with official documents, PACC secretary-general Kornthip Daroj said.
The fraud involved drawing up a list of phoney recipients and producing photocopies of identity cards, sometimes of people who exist but who had no idea their names were being used to collect the welfare money, which never reached those in need of it.
Villagers said they received none or only part of the money.
In some cases, the officials gave partial amounts to villagers whose names appeared on their lists.
The officials told villagers to let investigators know they had got the money in full, Pol Lt Col Wannop said.
The first case of embezzlement came to light in January.
It was exposed by a group of Maha Sarakham University students, one of whom was later hit by a professor for blowing the whistle.
They were told to fill in forms and sign fake signatures on receipts for 2,000 villagers, worth nearly 7 million baht, while they were working as interns at the Khon Kaen Protection for the Destitute Centre last year.
The students claimed the centre chief Phuangphayom Chikhom and some senior officials ordered them to do it.
The money was intended to be given to poor people, low-income earners and HIV/Aids patients in the province.
Khon Kaen governor Somsak Jangtrakul said yesterday that a provincial probe panel set up to look into alleged fraud at the Khon Kaen welfare centre, in parallel with the PACC probe, has wrapped up its investigation and given him its findings.