Skytrain deal could be made void : DSI chief
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The Bt190-billion contract awarded to the operator of the Skytrain may become void if evidence shows the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) had no right to seal the deal, Department of Special Investigation (DSI) chief Tharit Pengdit said Thursday.
“The Interior minister has explained that the mandate for the rail system in Bangkok lies with the ministry, not the BMA,” Tharit said. Interior Minister Yongyuth Wichaidit provided the explanation in response to a request for clarification from the DSI, he said.
A preliminary DSI probe into the case started after Pheu Thai MP Prompong Nopparit lodged a complaint with Tharit last month.
DSI investigators resolved Thursday that the BMA, its legal investment arm Krungthep Thanakom (KT), and Skytrain operator BTSC should provide explanations too.
“They have till June 18 to respond,” Tharit said.
The BMA landed in hot water after it awarded the 30year extension to BTSC via KT earlier this year. Under the deal, BTSC will receive about Bt190 billion for operating and maintaining Bangkok’s Skytrain system.
The contract can be divided into two parts: 30 years of services for two Skytrain extension routes that the BMA has invested in itself, and 13 years of services for the original network of Skytrain that BTSC developed as sole concessionaire.
The BTSC concession for the original network will expire in 2029, after which the firm will continue to maintain and operate the system under the Bt190billion contract awarded by the BMA. When the concession expires, the original network property will belong to the BMA.
