DSI to probe alleged multimillion-baht red onion scam in Si Sa Ket

The case has to be forwarded to the DSI as farmers and local traders were involved and the government has lost hundreds of millions of baht. The DSI will help dig deeper into the scam. Whoever is incriminated will be subject to both civil and criminal actions.
The ministry discovered that more than 20,000 tonnes of red onions purchased from farmers were rotting and had to be destroyed. This caused several millions of baht in losses to the state coffers after the government approved Bt1.5 billion to support this vegetable after its price plummeted.
Inspector-general Pranee Siriphand, who is the chairman of the ministry’s red-onion investigation committee, said yesterday that the ministry would try to punish everyone involved in fraud under the agricultural subsidy policy.
Three forms of cheating have emerged under the shallot-purchasing project. Some farmers have circumvented other farmers’ rights. Officials have not checked on the quality of the red onions and have cooperated with farmers to sell spoiled shallots to the government’s project. Third, influential officials, politicians or traders have forced local farmers to join the project and they have participated in the corruption process.
Pranee’s panel has learned that some officials falsified documents, cheated on the pledging rules and forced farmers to apply to the project.
However, she did not specify how much money was lost from the corruption in Si Sa Ket.
The DSI will help the ministry uncover more details and prove the charges so that all unscrupulous traders and officials will be punished under the law, she said.
Early this year, the Public Warehouse Organisation (PWO), a state-owned enterprise under the Commerce Ministry, had asked for a Bt300-billion budget from the government to purchase red onions amid the buyers’ market. After that the organisation asked for Bt1.2 billion to purchase more red onions from the market.
However, the PWO has faced problems managing the red-onion stocks that it has already bought from farmers. More than 20,000 tonnes of the vegetable are rotting and must be processed as fertiliser, as the organisation has been unable to deal with the inventory.
The ministry was ordered in June to set up the panel to look into the case.