DSI expect to finish investigation on BMA's fire trucks in May
The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) said on Monday it expects to release the findings of its investigation of a multibillionbaht deal to buy firetrucks and fire boats for Bangkok by next month.
DSI Special Criminal Litigation Office Commissioner Colonel Suchart Wonganantchai said the department had already examined documents related to the allegedly crooked deal, worth Bt6.68billion."There is a lot of progress in our probe into the allegations. We also received requested documents from private companies that were involved in the purchase," he said. A DSI panel will meet soon to conclude the investigation and expects to reveal the findings next month, Suchart said. The Democrat Party has alleged that there were many irregularities in the deal, including overpricing of the equipment. Suchart said the DSI had also interviewed officials involved in the purchase, including former Bangkok governor Samak Sundaravej, former Interior minister Bhokin Bhalakula, former Deputy Interior Minister Pracha Maleenont and current Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin. Samak signed both the memorandum of agreement and purchase contract in 2004, while Bhokin and Pracha were ministers overseeing Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA). The procurement followed the transfer of firefighting duties in the city from the police department to the BMA during Samak's tenure. The transfer left fire fighters with only some old equipment and the BMA planned to increase the number of fire stations. Meanwhile deputy Democrat leader Alongkorn Pollabutr asked the National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC) to question Samak and Bhokin about the deal. Alongkorn said the party's anticorruption committee had found evidence that the deal was not transparent and possibly corrupt, and had caused damage to the country worth nearly Bt2 billion. The Nation
|
