Irregularities found at 24 welfare centres

BANGKOK, March 5 (TNA) – The Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) found corruption at the welfare centers for the poor and the HIV-infected people in more ten provinces, raising the number of corrupted centres to 24 in total nationwide. PACC Assistant Secretary-General, Pol Lt Col Wannop Somjintanakul said the PACC initially inspected the protection centres for the destitute in 37 provinces, which received the budget of over one million baht each. It found irregularities in disbursement of welfare funds for the underprivileged in 14 provinces. The investigation was expanded to cover all provinces and the same corrupted practice was unveiled in additional 10 provinces including the southern border province of Yala, receiving as high as 10-million- baht fund. He said that that the probes found document forgery and misappropriation as recipients received either partial aid or nothing. Some recipients were actually ineligible to the aid. The working committee will wrap up reports for the PACC committee to set up sub-committees to proceed with the probes to identify the culprits. More investigation will be conducted in other provinces. So far, the PACC does not find information that senior officials are involved. If any corruption case is linked to a senior official, the case will be forward to the National Anti-Corruption Commission, authorized to probe such a case. (TNA)