NACC finds fraud in tambon scheme

Sansern said yesterday that NACC officers in each province were sent to investigate budgets used in the Bt5-million-per-tambon scheme, designed to spur the country’s stagnant economy. The investigator found some funds oddly spent or other behaviour that indicated fraud, in many parts of the country. 

The officer would take note of these unusual disbursements and they would be reported to the NACC’s committee, before being sent to the Ministry of Interior.

The NACC was given authority by the Interior Ministry to investigate the transparency of the tambon scheme. The NACC in each province has full authority to consult people over the project or take legal action in cases where corruption was found.

The Bt5-million-per-tambon scheme was aimed at spurring the economy by spending about Bt200 million in more than 7,000 tambons in hope that every tambon will outlay funds on projects such as repairs and construction, or career improvement for village members. 

Meanwhile, the head of Suphan Buri’s National Anti Corruption Commission Warida Tunbuneak revealed yesterday after random checks on the Bt5-million-per-tambon project in five tambons found no corruption or fraud was reported.

Warida aimed to randomly investigate ten tambons, and has finished five including: Muang, Bangplama, Samchuk, Songpeenong and Dan Chang. The the other five would be done by the end of this month. 

He said each tambon was checked on their most expensive project, as project transparency must be clear and each project has to respond to local needs. 

She also urged people to help the government by checking on the scheme, and report to their provincial NACC when they find an unusual operation or incident of fraud. – The Nation