Anti-Graft Body Expands Local Exam Fraud Probe
Thailand's NACC investigates local government exam fraud from 2025, expanding the probe back to 2064 with links to a former Department director.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- NACC accepts the 2025 local government exam corruption case as a special investigation.
- Evidence reveals a continuous fraud network operating from 2021 to 2028.
- The case involves over 6,000 individuals and former senior department officials.
- Financial trails are being examined with the Anti-Money Laundering Office within 6 months.
Mr. Kiatisak Phutphan, Deputy Secretary-General and Deputy Spokesperson of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), announced the latest progress regarding the investigation into corruption within local government examinations for 2025. The commission has officially accepted the case as a special investigation, focusing on two main issues: alleged collusion by officials and executives of the Department of Local Administration (DLA) in manipulating terms of reference (TOR) to favor specific bidders during the 2025 civil service exams, and illicit bribery claims for appointing personnel into local administration positions.
Following deep data analysis and collaboration with the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) along with commercial banks to trace financial pathways, investigators found that more than 6,000 individuals are linked to the case, requiring rigorous examination of digital systems across the board.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Furthermore, during the ongoing proceedings, authorities reviewed evidence from previously seized computers. Document files revealed names, telephone numbers, and network accounts directly corresponding to the year 2025, specifically involving recruitment lists for municipal staff, provincial administrative organization officials, and Pattaya City personnel into executive positions for the year 2021.
The gathered evidence strongly indicates that this network operated systematically across multiple years. Consequently, the NACC passed a resolution to accept the 2021 case as an additional special investigation, identifying 10 key individuals including the top director-general of the DLA at that time, who allegedly engaged in score manipulation similar to the practices found in 2025.
"Based on evidence indicating that this network operated as a systematic ring over several years, the NACC resolved to investigate and accept the 2021 case as a special case, involving 10 individuals, most notably the DLA director-general at the time, who committed score tampering identical to the 2025 offenses and belongs to the same group."
Kiatisak Phutphan
Expanding the local exam corruption investigation from 2025 back to 2021 highlights an entrenched administrative crime syndicate that exploits loopholes in public procurement and competitive examination standards for personal gain. Involving AMLO in transaction tracking is a critical strategy to dismantle influential networks, as such corruption schemes typically launder assets through complex nominee accounts requiring forensic financial analysis to incriminate high-level perpetrators.
Regarding rumors of a 9 billion baht financial trail, Mr. Kiatisak stated that confirmation from AMLO is still pending. The NACC plans to extend its investigation to examine whether directors-general serving between 2021 and 2028 had any connection to these suspicious financial flows. The investigation timeframe is set at 6 months before submitting a formal summary to the main NACC board for formal accusation rulings.
Source: Matichon Politics
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