Court sets 3 dates in Dec to hear case on MRT Orange Line extension
The Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases has earmarked three dates to hear the case filed against the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) over bidding on the MRT Orange Line extension.
The Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTSC) is suing MRTA and the selection committee from Article 36 of the 2019 Public-Private Partnership Act for changing the bidding criteria for the Bang Khun Non-Min Buri (Suwinthawong) Orange Line extension. The bidding was launched in August 2020.
BTSC’s executive director Surapong Laoha-Unya said on Monday that the court has checked the documents submitted by both sides and will hear the case on December 14, 20 and 24.
After that, he said, the court will listen to witness testimonies before deciding whether the case should be taken to trial.
Surapong explained that BTSC had filed the case for the sake of transparency and fair competition. He added that the case should become clearer before the first hearing on December 14 and BTSC will look into whether it should bid for the project.
Meanwhile, the court rejected the MRTA’s request for a gag order on the case, saying facts can be presented to the media provided both parties are cautious.
