NLA pair were corrupt in past, Wilas claims
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A FORMER Democrat MP yesterday accused two National Legislative Assembly members of corruption in the purchase of insecticides at inflated prices when they were governors of two northeastern provinces.
Wilas Chantharaphithak, a former member of the House anti-corruption committee, said Charnwit Wasayangkoon, when he was the governor of Mukdahan, and Phornsak Jiannai, when he was the governor of Chaiyaphum, approved the purchases at an exorbitant rate, citing his insight into this incident gained during a pre-coup House debate.
Many guilty government officials had been arrested and prosecuted while no progress had been made in the cases against Charnwit and Phornsak after they were appointed NLA members by the junta, which seized power in May of last year, he said.
The scheme had been approved for Bt7.8 billion while the actual price should not have been more than Bt600 million, he said.
Of the Bt811 million ceiling set for Mukdahan after a locust invasion, Charnwit approved spending of Bt661 million. Phornsak approved spending of Bt250 million under the ceiling of Bt306 million.
The rates did not correspond to the actual damage and the contracts were granted to companies selected in advance through rigged bidding, he alleged.
The House panel found that 22 governors and 135 district chiefs were involved in the scheme, he said.
Charnwit said he had followed approval regulations and had no hand in the previous bidding steps that set up the Bt7.8 million fund for the insecticide.
He would consult with Surachai Liangbunlertchai, deputy NLA chairman, and may file a criminal libel suit against Wilas, he said.
Phornsak said the declaration of disaster zones, whether for flooding, drought or in this case a locust infestation, had been screened by officials in charge before the governor could sign the purchase order for the insecticide.
The corruption detected recently in Bung Kan involving many provincial officials was a separate case that could not be used in conjunction with the insecticide procurement scandal, he said.
