The leader of the Thai Civilized Party has asked anti-corruption police to investigate executives of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) and others over the 33-million baht contract for the new nameplate and logo redesign of Bang Sue Grand Station.
Mongkolkit Suksintharanon on Tuesday filed a petition with Pol Lt Col Kornkaew Prayadsap, investigation chief at the Anti-Corruption Division (ACD), asking for an investigation into the cost and awarding of the contract.
The move coincided with the announcement the SRT has decided to put on hold the planned replacement of the nameplate and the logo redesign following heavy criticism of the cost. The installation had been due to start on Jan 3.
The Transport Ministry has also set up a fact-finding committee to investigate the awarding of the contract.
Mr Mongkolkit said he wanted the ACD to investigate SRT officials, including executives, procurement panel members and the contractor, and determine whether their actions violated Sections 9-13 of the law on submission of bids to government agencies.
He wanted to see penalties imposed on those involved, and the investigation concluded within a 30-day time frame set by the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission.
There was no urgency about changing the nameplate, Mr Mongkolkit said.
He wondered if there might be vested interests involved, or attempts to help a certain bidder enter into a contract with a state agency unfairly, or to prevent other bidders from taking part in a bidding contest. He said he would raise the issue for a general debate in parliament in February.
The awarding of the 33-million-baht contact has drawn widespread criticism, amid claims that questionable methods were used in hiring the contractor – Unique Engineering and Construction Plc (Uniq).
The redesign follows His Majesty the King's renaming of Grand Station as Krung Thep Abhiwat Central Terminal in September.
Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob earlier defended the SRT’s nameplate and logo design contract, saying the procurement process was transparent.
The SRT announced on Tuesday it had decided to put a hold on the nameplate replacement project.
SRT governor Nirut Maneephan had on Monday notified the management of Uniq Engineering and Construction in writing of the postponement of the plan until further notice, the announcement said.
The Transport Ministry said on Tuesday it had set up a fact-finding committee to investigate the awarding of the contract.
The committee is chaired by deputy transport permanent secretary Sorapong Paitoonphong and held its first meeting on Tuesday.
Mr Sorapong said the panel would look into nine issues - the origin of the project, the terms of reference, the median price, minutes of meetings of the median price committee, details of the project’s procurement, details of the project’s approval, details of bidding price quoted by the bidder, reports of the procurement committee’s meetings, details of the contract and the comparison of prices.
The committee would report the findings to the ministry within 15 days, by Jan 19.
