Massive graft deserves proper penalties
Play
Surprise, surprise! The Supreme Court has found ex-deputy Interior minister Pracha Maleenont and ex-BMA fire chief Pol Maj-General Athilak Tanchukiat guilty of malfeasance for buying Bt6.7 billion worth of fire engines, and sentenced them to jail.
The judges are to be congratulated for their courage in finding politicians guilty of corruption when corruption is the norm in Thai politics, as shown by our drop in Transparency International’s ratings.
Neither of the convicted persons showed up in court to hear the verdict, and one or both might have fled overseas. PM Yingluck should immediately cancel their passports as a precautionary measure, ask all countries to void any visas they might have issued, and move to have them deported in handcuffs if found overseas. As Charles de Gaulle said, “Justice that does not bear a sword beside its scales soon falls into ridicule.”
Also, where did the bribes the two convicts received go? Our Anti-Money Laundering Office should get on to the cases post-haste so that all of the guilty parties can be brought to justice. Lastly, stealing from the public coffers surely severely disgraces the police force, and Pol Maj-General Athilak’s royally bestowed rank, decorations and privileges must be immediately cancelled.
Let justice not only be done, but be seen to be done.
Burin Kantabutra
Bangkok
