Sorrayuth, three others face legal action: NACC
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Media personality, his firm, MCOT staff 'conspired to steal revenue'
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) unanimously resolved to take criminal action against media personality Sorrayuth Suthassanachinda for his role in the alleged embezzlement of Bt138.79 million of MCOT advertising revenue.
NACC commissioner Klanarong Chanthik said the commission would also take legal action against two MCOT officials and Sorrayuth’s employee in relation to the alleged embezzlement.
He said the public prosecutors would also be told to charge MCOT’s customer service officer Pitchapha Iamsa-ard and her supervisor Anya Uthai, chief of the general affairs division, for having a hand in the embezzlement.
Apart from Sorrayuth, the NACC has also decided to have public prosecutors take criminal action against Montha Thiradet, an executive of Sorrayuth’s Raisom Co, and the company itself as a legal entity.
Raisom, which now produces news-oriented and current-affairs shows for Channel 3, has Sorrayuth as a major shareholder.
The firm previously produced news programmes for MCOT until its contract was cancelled over suspicions that it failed to fairly share advertising revenue with the state agency as required by the contract.
Klanarong said Pitchapha was in charge of recording all the advertising slots bought when Sorrayuth’s programmes were aired, so MCOT could collect the correct amount from Raisom.
The NACC chief also said that Sorrayuth had given Pitchapha six cheques, worth a total of Bt739,700, allegedly as payment for her silence over the correct advertising slots sold.
This alleged practice came to light in July 2006 when then-MCOT assistant director Boonthik Bulsin noticed that the midnight showing of Raisom programmes was longer.
Pitchapha later said the show had been granted longer airtime than what was agreed with the MCOT, Klanarong said.
She also admitted that she erased details of advertisements from the logbook in order to cover up the actual revenue earned, suggested allegedly by Sorrayuth and Montha.
Klanarong said MCOT had later demanded that Raisom pay advertising revenue, plus value-added tax and interest, for Bt152.969 million and Sorrayuth agreed to do so on October 20, 2006.
Later, MCOT filed a complaint with the Huai Khwang Police Station against Pitchapha and Anya for violating state employee’s code of ethics. MCOT also filed a complaint against Raisom, accusing it of causing damages worth Bt138.79 million.
The Huai Khwang Police Station then forwarded the case to the NACC to investigate in December last year.
Klanarong said the NACC would also recommend that MCOT take disciplinary action against Anya for being careless in her role as supervisor.
