Rajabhakti questions demand answers

Deputy Defence Minister General Udomdej Sitabutr admitted that an amulet-trader had demanded “commissions” from the foundries selected to cast the statues for the park, but he said he had returned the money and the foundries had then donated the statues to the Army. The Central Investigation Bureau confirmed that such fees were in fact paid, ranging from Bt300,000 to more than Bt4 million. But the Army’s week-long internal investigation unearthed no evidence of corruption, and Army chief Gen Teerachai asked the National Anti-Corruption Commission and news media to forget about the matter.

However, in line with good governance and Prayut’s laudable orders, credible external agencies and the media must dig into it. Otherwise the reputations of General Udomdej and the Army might be wrongfully sullied. Perhaps both Udomsak and the CIB erred in reporting the commissions, but, if so, why was the money returned to the foundries? Are such “commissions” normal on items bought for Army-run locales? Can we see the receipts? If the commissions were in fact bribes, merely returning the funds is insufficient because a crime has been committed and the guilty must be held accountable.

What is the market value of the donated palm trees? Did the Army issue tax-deductible receipts of Bt300,000 each? Is the army unwittingly helping the tree donors claim excessive tax deductions?

Burin Kantabutra