Justice Minister says ‘manipulation’ behind Rajabhakti Park graft claims
Justice Minister General Paiboon Koomchaya Tuesday said someone had been exploiting the Rajabhakti Park alleged scandal for political motives.
Scandal claims had affected the reputation of the current government, as they involved corruption allegations surrounding the casting of giant statues of seven former Thai kings for the Rajabhakti Park.
Deputy Defence Minister General Udomdej Sitabutr, who is at the centre of the issue, has urged senior figures not to jump to quick conclusions that the project is mired in corruption as they had yet to get full information.
“Don’t say just yet that there is corruption or irregularities in the Rajabhakti Park project,” Udomdej said.
He said any problems in the project, which involved members of the private sector, had already been solved.
“No one has lost anything,” he said.
Speaking separately before he attended the Cabinet meeting, Paiboon - in his capacity as chair of the Centre for National Anti Corruption (CNAC) - said he had been careful about commenting on the Rajabhakti Park case because someone had used it for political manipulation.
“At this point, we should just let relevant officials do their duty,” he said, referring to probes that have been launched in response to the claimed scandal. The Office of the Auditor General (OAG), for example, is investigating the project.
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