Rajata and deputy face probe over 'power abuse'

The NACC sent notification of this via the post to Rajata and the deputy minister.

The minister and his deputy were accused of appointing people with an alleged conflict of interest to a panel tasked to select qualified committee members for the Health Systems Research Institute. They were also accused of accelerating the selection process without proper screening of peoples’ qualifications in regard to conflicts of interest and postponing a meeting scheduled by the institute’s former committee to address lack of transparency. 

The pair also were accused of setting the procedure to select the institute’s committee members so it was done swiftly and having a meeting of the new committee organised fast despite the secretary still being on a trip abroad, the source said.

The NACC initially found that Rajata, in his capacity as president of the institute’s panel, appointed seven people – including Dr Vicharn Panich, Dr Cherdchai Nopmanee-jumruslers and Dr Viroj Tangcharoensathien – to join the panel to select qualified committee members, the source said. It also found that Vicharn, Cherdchai and Viroj had continuously received research funds and their selection reportedly lacked any screening on whether they had conflicts of interest. So, the NACC set up the subcommittee, to be chaired by Narong, to carry out further fact-finding.