The Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit filed against the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) over its allegedly unlawful revision of the bidding terms for the Orange Line's western extension.
The lawsuit was filed by the Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTSC) against MRTA governor Pakapong Sirikantaramas and seven other members of the committee on the Orange Line's western extension from Bang Khun Non to Min Buri for malfeasance in office.
In dismissing it, the court said the revision was done as part of an effort to launch a new bid. The court added the cancellation of the first round had no reason to exclude the plaintiff from the contest.
In addition, the plaintiff was apparently aware of and understood the conditions of the agreement when it bought the request for proposal (RFP) envelope, as it did not protest or dispute the contents of the agreement, which clearly stipulated the MRTA reserved the right to carry out revisions of the terms.
The lawsuit also lacked evidence proving the defendants had a vested interest in modifying the bidding criteria, the court said. Moreover, the revision concluded before the RFP envelope was submitted, so it ruled that no bidders could have suffered an unfair advantage.
The schedule was also extended by 45 days to give bidders sufficient time to prepare, according to the court.
Meanwhile, Thongchai Thongset, head of BTSC's legal team, said after the ruling that he would appeal it within a month.
