House Panel Exposes 9 Billion Baht Local Exam Corruption
MP Asapol Sannitraiphop reveals 32 corruption steps in local government exams with a financial trail of 9 billion baht and political ties.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- The House anti-corruption panel revealed irregularities across 32 steps in local civil service recruitment exams.
- The Anti-Money Laundering Office traced financial flows totaling 9 billion baht from over 500 interviewed individuals.
- The committee proposed six measures to the Prime Minister, including legal action and a review of the exam organizing agency.
- Investigations uncovered links to politicians and previous irregularities tied to Burapha University's 20th-century exam management.
MP Asapol Sannitraiphop of Bhumjaithai Party, serving as chairman of the House Committee on Corruption Prevention and Suppression, held a press conference at the Thai parliament detailing findings on the fraudulent recruitment exams for local government positions, with representatives from the NACC, PACC, and the Department of Local Administration (DLA) presenting progress updates.
Reviewing three distinct timeframes—before, during, and after the exams—spanning 32 total procedural steps, the working group submitted six proposals to the Prime Minister. These include urging the Ministry of Interior and the DLA to pursue strict legal action across criminal, civil, and disciplinary fronts, and demanding damages from Srinakharinwirot University.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
The panel chairman detailed that the scheme involved grouping applicants into batches of 100 to 200 people, executing proxy applications, and routing payments through irregular channels. AMLO subsequently uncovered a financial trail ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of baht. Interviewing over 500 individuals brought the total tracked money trail to over 9 billion baht, collected through upfront fees and additional payments upon successful appointment.
"Aside from permanent officials, are there politicians involved?... The briefing stated that politicians are involved."
Asapol Sannitraiphop
Systemic corruption in public sector recruitment severely undermines public trust in bureaucratic integrity. The unearthing of large-scale financial networks and organized proxy applications highlights persistent vulnerabilities in state exam administration. Without transparent reforms to procurement terms of reference (TOR) and selection oversight, such vulnerabilities risk recurring and compromising administrative justice.
Furthermore, the committee identified complaints dating back to local exams in 2021 managed by Burapha University, where successful candidates allegedly recruited others into the 2025 fraud scheme. The case also links to a former mayor of Khuan Kalong subdistrict in Satun province who served on the local exam board and was arrested in Nakhon Ratchasima. The NACC expects to conclude its examination of the local examination committee by September.
Source: Khaosod Politics
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