KTB convictions underscore the menace of corruption
Re: "KTB's former chiefs get 18 years' jail in loan case", Politics, August 27.
News of the Supreme Court finding a former president and a former board chairman of state-owned Krung Thai Bank guilty and sentencing each to 18 years in jail for malfeasance should serve to remind political observers how easy it is for a “democratically elected government” to turn into an “administrative body of fraudsters”!
Politicians always get most of the corruption money and, if found guilty of wrongdoing, scorn the law by escaping overseas. But in this case, bank executives who served as state bureaucrats are left to serve the jail terms and face disgrace in the evening of their careers. Worse, those convicted are also ordered to pay back the lost money, so their families are at risk of bankruptcy as well.
Corruption is Thailand’s biggest problem and it must be resolved before she returns to democracy. Citizens should support a constitution that can effectively prevent corruption, especially among politicians. Democracy will never take root as long as corruption is still prevalent.
Vint Chavala
