THAILAND: BMA asks Japan to aid bribery probe
- From: cslee <short-crooked@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2008 11:50:50 +0800
THAILAND: BMA asks Japan to aid bribery probe
Bangkok officials will contact Japanese ambassador for their investigation
stemming from bribery report in 'Japan Times' and 'Japan Today'
Bangkok Post
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) will send a letter to the Japanese
ambassador and a Japanese contractor seeking information about an alleged
125-million-baht bribe paid to senior BMA officials. Bangkok Governor Apirak
Kosayodhin has launched an investigation into the matter, which came to light
during a court case in Japan.
He said yesterday the letter will be sent to the Japanese ambassador and
Nishimatsu Construction Co, asking for a response in seven days so that the BMA
can complete its investigation as soon as possible.
The Japan Times and Japan Today daily newspapers reported on Monday that
Nishimatsu Construction admitted to Japanese prosecutors that it had given a
bribe of more than 400 million yen to ''Thai officials'' to win a drainage
tunnel project in Bangkok.
The Japanese company had tendered for the project through its consortium with
Italian-Thai Development Plc (ITD) five years ago.
Mr Apirak said he hoped the investigation would be free of political influence
because Japanese prosecutors were also handling it.
City Hall would certainly forward its findings to the National Counter
Corruption Commission, he said.
Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and Deputy Prime Minister Sahas Banditkul
declined to comment yesterday on the corruption reports.
Mr Samak was Bangkok governor and Mr Sahas was deputy governor when City Hall
implemented the five-kilometre-long drainage tunnel project. Completed last
year, the 2.09-billion-baht tunnel stretches from Lat Phrao to the Saen Saep
canal.
Mr Samak arrived at Government House yesterday morning for the regular cabinet
meeting.
Asked for his reaction to the bribe allegation he refused to talk and walked
straight to the cabinet secretariat building, the venue of yesterday's meeting.
Mr Sahas also arrived for the cabinet meeting. Unusually, his limousine went
directly to the underground parking space of the cabinet secretariat building
and he walked hurriedly to the meeting.
Normally, Mr Sahas walks from the command building to the secretariat building
for Tuesday cabinet meetings.
"I'm busy," he told reporters yesterday.
City Clerk Pongsak Semsant confirmed yesterday the investigation would be
concluded in seven days. His probe panel would also seek information from Japan.
Charnchai Withoonpanyakit, director of City Hall's Department of Drainage and
Sewerage, also refused to talk about the project. He told reporters to get
information from Japan, as that was where the bribery allegation originated.
Five years ago, he said, he had taken part in the bidding contest only to check
the technical proposals from contenders and he had nothing to do with the final
selection of the contractor.
The quotation of the ITD-Nishimatsu consortium was selected because it was the
lowest among the three qualified bidders, he said.
Democrat MP Charnchai Isarasenarak, as a vice president of the House committee
on suppression of corruption, said his panel was also looking into the matter.
It would likely conclude its investigation in a few months.
Date Posted: 7/9/2008
http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=94513
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