Ex-KMITL rector gets grilled over assets

THAWIL PHUENGMA, the former rector of King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Lat Krabang (KMITL), faced four hours of questioning by Crime Suppression Division (CSD) yesterday – his third session with police seeking to recover a large sum embezzled from KMITL.
  Police summoned Thawil to clarify Bt86 million in assets, that he declared to the National Anti-Corruption Commission in 2014. This includes buildings worth Bt32 million, land worth Bt42 million, vehicles worth Bt8 million and Bt4 million in bank deposits and other valuables.
The former rector insisted he had nothing to do with the Bt1.5 billion embezzled from KMITL, telling reporters later yesterday he had explained to police the origin of his assets from 2010 till 2014.
They included a Bt35 million block at Nonthaburi he got from his mother in 2010. The value of that land has since soared to some Bt80 million.
As for millions in his bank accounts, he told police it was a 12-times salary compensation payment after his retirement last October combined with an existing Bt2 million in cash. He said police didn’t give him a further date to testify but said he was ready to provide information anytime.
Asked about a report that a KMITL executive had signed to close three bank accounts a year after leaving, Thawil said police didn’t ask him this but said he hadn’t authorised the closure of any account retrospectively.
CSD deputy commander Pol Colonel Nos Sawetlek said Thawil’s Bt80 million in assets was checked and found to be earned before he became KMITL rector – they were from inheritance, apartment business and income from being an administrative board member.
As for the photocopies of money transfers that Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) submitted to police on Monday, Nos said police had to authenticate the signature of KMITL executives on them first and were waiting to check cashier cheques from Kasikorn and Krung Thai banks too.
SCB executive chairman Vichit Suraphongchai told a press conference yesterday that the bank has been cooperating with the police investigation and never hid documents, although delays may have occurred due to the amount of papers to review.
He said the bank would be responsible for losses occurring while suspect and ex-bank manager Songklod Sriprasong was at the bank but would not be accountable for damage that he caused after leaving SCB.
He said the bank would review measures related to retrospective money transactions and SCB executives would be sent to explain the situation to other educational institution customers to boost their confidence in the bank.
He affirmed that SCB-KMITL relations were not adversely affected, saying the case was an individual matter.