Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt on Friday suspended the 40-million-baht procurement programme for gym equipment for three sports centres run by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) amid an outcry over suspected corruption.
According to Mr Chadchart, equipment costing 15.7 million baht was procured for the On Nut Sports Centre, while 12.1 million baht was spent by the 72nd Anniversary Stadium in Min Buri district, and 11 million by the Mitr Maitree Sports Centre in Din Daeng district.
The suspension followed a complaint by the Strong Thailand Anti-Corruption Club, which said on Wednesday that it had found irregularities in an estimated 103 million baht worth of purchases at seven other BMA sports centres.
Mr Chadchart on Friday ordered the BMA’s anti-corruption committee to investigate the seven centres in question.
The BMA will send the results to the National Anti-Corruption Commission if any illegal activity is found, he said. It will also work with the State Audit Office and the Office of Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission on the investigation, he said.
According to Somboon Homnan, the deputy permanent secretary of the BMA, the sports equipment has already been installed at four centres. Deliveries to the other three centres has been suspended.
On Tuesday, the Strong Thailand Anti-Corruption Club said on Facebook that two BMA sports centres had purchased overly expensive equipment, including an electric treadmill for 759,000 baht and a spinning bike for 484,000 baht.
Bangkok deputy governor Sanon Wangsrangboon took to Facebook to say that the public’s participation in any procurement investigation was welcome.
Mr Sanon said that making the administrative budget spending “visible” to the public helped with administrative progress, as the public can now protect the taxes they have paid to support public agencies.
However, the irregularities in procurements made by local administrations had sullied BMA officials’ good intentions towards the city. Those irregularities, he added, were “the elephant in the room”.