China Railway No. 10 (Thailand), the contractor of the collapsed State Audit Office (SAO) building, will set aside 120 million baht to compensate victims of the tragedy, the justice minister confirmed, adding the move will not impact the criminal case related to the tragedy.
Justice Minister Pol Col Tawee Sodsong said on Tuesday he had been informed by the investigating officers in the case that China Railway No.10 (Thailand) Co would approve 120 million baht to compensate the families of victims who died and the injured.
Currently, 51 people have been confirmed dead, with nine injured and 43 still missing.
The funds will be channelled through the Ministry of Justice. However, he clarified that this is not related to the criminal case, but is more about humanitarian concerns and the damage caused.
"The statement in the investigation notes that the Chinese company intends to help the victims and those affected. As for the legal process, if the company wishes to assist, it could collaborate with Italian-Thai Development (ITD), its partner, to avoid burdening the government. If they require the government's involvement, the relevant regulations must be followed to determine how the compensation will be handled after the funds are received," he said.
Initially, he had not yet been contacted by the company directly, but the investigating officers had recorded the information in the suspect's statement. He also confirmed that the compensation would not prompt a reduction in penalties, but was commendable.
Pol Col Tawee also said the investigation into the nominee case involving China Railway No.10 (Thailand) also found the wrongdoers, three Thai men and one Chinese man. The penalties for this offence are not severe, but the investigation must be completed within four months, ideally within three months, to give prosecutors another month to review it.
The three Thai men were named as Manas Sri-anan, Prachuap Sirikhet, and Sophon Meechai. They turned themselves in on Monday evening while the Chinese executive, Mr Zhang Chuanling, was arrested on Saturday.
Pol Col Tawee said the investigation team found that the three Thai men, who held 51% of the company's shares, work for the company as labourers and drivers.
As for the cause of the building collapse, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) and police officers are actively working on the case, keeping that investigation separate from the issues of procurement corruption and the nominees, he said.
He also mentioned another related case, involving a steel company using fake tax invoices, which occurred around 2016-2017. It will need to be reviewed to see if steel purchases were made from this company after 2017. The Supreme Court has already provided guidance on this issue, and he has instructed investigators to work thoroughly.
Pol Maj Woranan Srilamm, a DSI spokesman, said only one Thai suspect, Mr Sophon, provided significant testimony, while the other two requested to submit written explanations within 30 days.
