Fraud charges dropped against firm hired to build police stations
A firm that failed to construct new police-station facilities under a government project will not be facing criminal charges, if the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) does not object to the public prosecutors' decision.
A highly-placed source at the Office of the Attorney General said yesterday that the office’s Department of Special Litigation had decided not to pursue the criminal case against PCC Development and Construction Co Ltd and its executives.
“According to the office, there is no evidence of bidding collusion. The successful bid price is not too low,” the source said.
The source added that PCC Development and Construction was also found to have strictly complied with bidding regulations and had entered various rounds of bidding before finally winning the project.
The Department of Special Litigation chief also found that the firm’s failure to pay its sub-contractors only constituted a civil offence, the source said.
“It doesn’t qualify as fraud because there is no evidence that the PCC intended not to pay. It has handled many big projects before,” the source said, “This case has more to do with a breach of contracts.”
Nantasak Poolsak, the incoming chief of the Department of Special Litigation, yesterday refused to comment on the case.
“I’ve just taken up this post and have not yet seen the investigation report,” he said.
The DSI previously found PCC Development and Construction guilty of fraud and bidding collusion.
If the DSI does not agree with the Department of Special Litigation’s decision, it will have to appeal to the Attorney General.