Top ministry official sacked for embezzling relief funds
The Social Development and Human Security Ministry sacked its social development officer on Sunday for allegedly embezzling relief funds earmarked for people affected by the Covid-19 outbreak.
Pisan Sukjaitham was nabbed by immigration police as he tried to cross the border into Myanmar from Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district.
The man showed up on the radar after the ministry filed charges against him on September 14. He had alleged transferred 13 million baht earmarked for vulnerable people to his own account.
The suspect has denied charges so far. He was transferred to the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases on Monday morning.
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Patcharee Arayakul, the ministry’s permanent secretary, said Pisan’s bank account has been frozen to ensure the money is not transferred to anyone else. She added that the ministry has set up an investigation team and has asked the Anti-Money Laundering Office to check if anyone else was involved in the case.
“Initial investigation showed that Pisan had transferred the cash to his account and was planning to escape before the State Audit Office conducted its annual check,” she said.
She added that the ministry will study the case and improve the system to ensure no such incidents take place in the future.
“All passwords have been changed to stop the suspect from transferring cash,” she added.