Bangkok governor candidate seeks NACC probe into his wealth
Democrat Party’s Bangkok governor hopeful Suchatvee Suwansawat has asked the anti-graft agency to examine assets belonging to him and his wife in a bid to clear allegations of malfeasance and unusual wealth.
He submitted his request to the National Anti‑Corruption Commission (NACC) on Friday.
“I have volunteered to work for the people, and I do not shy away from scrutiny,” he said. “I am confident that the NACC will ensure justice for me.”
Suchatvee’s move came after an investigation by the House committee on corruption, misconduct prevention and suppression into a complaint accusing him of irregularities while serving as president of King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL).
After more than six years in the university’s top job, the 49-year-old engineering professor stepped down in early December to contest the next Bangkok gubernatorial election as a Democrat candidate.
Suchatvee said on Friday that he had served with honesty as the KMITL president, without amassing unusual wealth.
“I feel that I am being treated unfairly and persecuted politically. My credibility and political goodwill are being undermined,” he added.
The House committee received a complaint from an anonymous party last month about Suchatvee's alleged wrongdoing, according to the panel’s spokesman, MP Thiratchai Phantumas, whose Move Forward Party is also in the gubernatorial race.
After resigning as KMITL president, Suchatvee declared personal assets of Bt141.7 million, up from Bt44 million in his previous declaration in 2016. According to the latest declaration, he and his wife have combined assets of Bt342.1 million and total debts of Bt35.2 million.
Meanwhile, the latest opinion survey of Bangkok voters showed Suchatvee closing the gap on frontrunner Chadchart Sittipunt.
Of the 1,035 people surveyed, 33.81 per cent said they would vote for Chadchart, 28.29 per cent for Suchatvee, and 8.57 per cent for Move Forward candidate Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn, according to the results released on Friday.
As many as 20.29 per cent of the respondents said they were undecided.
The survey was conducted by Thammasat University’s Research and Consultancy Institute from February 3-7.