A total of 3,621 local government officials are expected to have their appointments revoked after authorities found evidence linking them to a nationwide civil service recruitment exam fraud scandal.
The officials are among 14,988 candidates who were appointed following local government recruitment examinations held late last year. A review of the results found 5,814 candidates with irregular scores.
The Central Committee for Local Government Personnel Examinations plans to meet on Friday to consider revoking the appointments of the first group of 3,621 candidates for whom there is clear evidence of wrongdoing, Interior Ministry permanent secretary Unsit Sampuntharat said on Thursday.
The move is intended to restore confidence in the recruitment process and ensure fairness for the 9,174 candidates whose raw examination scores matched the officially announced results, he said.
The scandal has become one of the biggest recruitment fraud cases ever to affect Thailand’s local government system.
According to Mr Unsit, after the first round of revocations, the Interior Ministry plans to coordinate with independent institutions, such as Thammasat University or the Office of the Civil Service Commission, to re-examine more than 800,000 answer sheets and recount scores of over 400,000 exam candidates nationwide.
Score recalculation
Officials will then recalculate the scores and produce a new merit ranking list. Candidates who are ranked highly enough under the revised system will be eligible to fill vacancies created by the dismissals.
Mr Unsit said candidates in the second and third groups of irregular results would also undergo a full review after investigators found that some may have achieved passing marks but later received unauthorised score increases. Legal investigations are continuing to establish the facts in each case.
He said the ministry was committed to reforming the local government recruitment system and ensuring accountability from all parties involved in announcing examination results.
Those connected to the alleged fraud are being investigated by police and the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC). Any individuals found to have been involved will face legal action, he added.
Suspect refuses to talk
Meanwhile, one of the key suspects in the case has refused to cooperate with investigators, according to Pol Maj Gen Pattanasak Bubphasuwan, commander of the Crime Suppression Division (CSD).
He said three suspects arrested in connection with the case have already been remanded in custody by the court.
They are Sgt Maj Dr Pichit Thangphrom, director of the Strategy and Budget Division of Wichian Buri Municipality in Phetchabun; Assawin “Win” Chotipanang, an adviser to the director of the Office of Promotion and Training at Kasetsart University; and Mr Assawin’s younger sister, Sataporn Thanaphatcharaphokin.
Sgt Maj Dr Pichit declined to answer any questions following his arrest and refused to provide a statement. Mr Assawin also denied the allegations but provided information useful to the investigation, Pol Maj Gen Pattanasak said.
Mr Assawin told police he and his sister received examination data files from Sgt Maj Dr Pichit and passed them on to people staying at a house in Nonthaburi, where 10 people, mostly civil servants, were found tampering with about 3,000 answer sheets.
Hundreds of candidates nationwide reportedly paid bribes ranging from 350,000 to 800,000 baht, depending on the desired positions, to ensure they got a passing grade in the exams.
Investigators are now considering issuing summonses to 15 people linked to the Bang Yai house to acknowledge charges. However, the decision will depend on consultations with the NACC regarding the division of responsibilities between anti-graft investigators and police.
The CSD chief said police would also need to question all of the more than 5,000 candidates whose examination results have been flagged as irregular as the investigation expands.
