Old doubts rise on Bangkok’s collapsed State Audit Office (SAO) building
The collapsed State Audit Office (SAO) building has come under renewed scrutiny following a recent news report detailing longstanding irregularities in the construction project, which began in 2009.
According to the Isra News Agency, the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) last year found grounds to allegations against former Auditor-General Khunying Jaruvan Maintaka and others regarding a 25.8-million-baht design contract linked to the project.
Initially, the building was to be constructed on a 15-rai plot in Pathum Thani owned by the Treasury Department. However, the location was later changed to the Chatuchak area in Bangkok, the site where the building under construction collapsed during the March 28 earthquake.
Suspicions of irregularities first emerged when the SAO issued an invitation for bids to design the new office building on Oct 28, 2009. The terms of reference allowed juristic persons to bid without requiring them to hold an architect or engineering licence from the relevant professional councils.
This prompted concern from the Architect Council of Thailand, which sent a letter dated Nov 12, 2009, to the SAO urging a revision of the qualifications to ensure that bidders held valid professional licences.
Despite receiving this recommendation, Khunying Jaruvan allowed the bidding process to continue unchanged — a decision seen as a violation of the Architect Act. It was later alleged that this decision favoured a joint venture, Cabinet Engineer–Arwut Ngernchuklin, which lacked the required professional credentials.
Of the four companies that submitted bids, Design Develop Ltd was initially selected by the SAO’s procurement committee for having the highest technical score.
However, Uthai Thongkhum, chairman of the terms of reference (ToR) committee, filed a memorandum requesting a review of the selection without a clear justification. In response, Khunying Jaruvan formed a new review committee, which ultimately reversed the decision and awarded the contract to Cabinet Engineer–Arwut Ngernchuklin. The 25.8-million-baht contract was signed on Feb 11, 2010.
In September 2011, the NACC ruled that both Khunying Jaruvan and Mr Uthai were subject to criminal investigation under Section 157 of the Criminal Code and Section 12 of the anti-price collusion law.
The NACC has submitted its findings to the Office of the Attorney General and urged the SAO to seek compensation for damages. It also recommended that the actions of the joint venture be reported to the Comptroller-General’s Department. As of now, the case remains unresolved, and all accused parties are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Source: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/3040386/old-doubts-rise-on-collapsed-sao-site
