Exam fraud leads ACT’s 13-case corruption hall of shame for 2026

The Anti-Corruption Organization of Thailand (ACT) has named alleged fraud in local government recruitment examinations as the most serious of 13 corruption controversies recorded during the first half of 2026.

ACT chairman Mana Nimitmongkol said on July 23 that the number and scale of major scandals during the six-month period warranted their inclusion in the organisation’s “Hall of Shame”.

 

The recruitment case allegedly involved bribes worth 4.5 billion baht. The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has brought allegations against 6,014 people, although no ministers or national-level politicians have been implicated, according to ACT.

Mana said the case had harmed applicants who had prepared honestly for the examinations, damaged confidence in public servants and undermined the decentralisation system.

ACT said its list was intended to expose corrupt practices, condemn misconduct and increase public awareness of the seriousness of corruption.

Bribery, oil hoarding and procurement

The second case concerned a survey by the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking and an allied civic network identifying 10 state agencies where private companies had allegedly faced demands for bribes.

ACT said bribery was particularly vulnerable to occurring at agencies empowered to issue permits, grant approvals, impose penalties or determine how quickly members of the public received services.

The third case involved the alleged hoarding of 57 million litres of oil worth about 2.3 billion baht. ACT said the incident had affected the economy, energy security and household costs, but those responsible had yet to be publicly identified.

Fourth was the 1.6-billion-baht TH-Ai Passport project, which ACT described as a possible example of policy-level corruption.

Although the procurement was said to have followed official procedures, technology specialists had questioned its technical justification, cost and value for money.

ACT noted that the NACC had not ruled on the case. It also said the project was linked to a proposed “learning platform” megaproject worth 26 billion baht in the 2027 budget.

The fifth case concerned a crane collapse at the Rama II expressway construction site that killed two people and injured two others.

ACT criticised state supervision of contractors and compared the accident with a crane collapse at the high-speed railway construction site in Pak Chong, which killed 31 people and injured 71.

The sixth case involved the resignation of the director-general of the Department of Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation after he reportedly refused a request from a minister’s nephew involving an aircraft maintenance project worth 300 million baht a year.

ACT said the resignation prompted questions about the independence of civil servants, procurement governance, political patronage and the influence of powerful figures.

Cases involving officials and politicians

The seventh controversy involved an alleged bribe of 246 baht-weight of gold, valued at 16 million baht, said to involve an NACC commissioner and a former senior police officer known as “Big Joke”.

ACT said video evidence and witness accounts allegedly showed an official vehicle being used to collect the gold in return for assistance with a case. The allegations have damaged public confidence in the justice process, the organisation said.

The eighth case concerned the NACC’s decision to dismiss a case involving Saksayam, despite a Constitutional Court ruling that ended his ministerial status because of shares held in a company contracting with a state agency.

ACT said the differing interpretations had raised questions about legal standards and public confidence in independent organisations.

Ninth was what ACT described as the influence of mafia-linked interests in Phuket following the transfers of the provincial governor and a deputy governor.

The organisation said the controversy had raised concerns about public safety, law enforcement and the state’s ability to confront organised influence and grey businesses.

The tenth entry was the case of an individual referred to as “MP 888”, a two-term Songkhla MP facing allegations linked to online gambling and money laundering.

ACT said the politician had previously been arrested, had his home searched by the Department of Special Investigation and had assets frozen by the Anti-Money Laundering Office.

The House of Representatives later voted against releasing him to the DSI for legal proceedings during the parliamentary session. ACT argued that the decision could obstruct efforts to combat online crime.

False registrations and alleged official involvement

The eleventh case involved false birth registrations in which Thai men were allegedly recorded as fathers to enable children to obtain Thai nationality.

ACT said the alleged network involved Interior Ministry officials, hospital personnel, brokers and Thai citizens receiving payments. It warned that exploitation of weaknesses in the civil registration system could have long-term national security consequences.

The twelfth case concerned the shooting of a Narathiwat MP, in which several state officials were allegedly implicated.

ACT said government-issued weapons and a state vehicle were used in the attack. It called for an independent and transparent investigation into possible links with state authority, procurement interests or influential networks.

The final entry involved five immigration police officers and associates accused of staging the removal of 131 Chinese call-centre suspects from Immigration Bureau detention.

According to ACT, fraudulent complaints were allegedly created so the suspects could be transferred for questioning. Prosecutors then declined to pursue the fabricated cases, enabling the detainees to escape in return for alleged bribes of 10 million baht each.

ACT said the case showed that corruption could occur at any stage of the justice process.

The organisation also highlighted two other controversies that remained under intense public scrutiny during the period: alleged collusion in the Senate selection process and the Khao Kradong land dispute.

Mana argued that modern corruption did not always involve secret cash payments or explicit breaches of the law, as laws and state policies could also be manipulated to provide legitimacy and protect political interests.