"Lisa Phakamon" demands progress on the local exam fraud case after 40 days without developments, inviting a review of the timeline revealing collusion from the start. Burapha University initially won the bid but had its contract canceled in early 2025 and the TOR was revised, resulting in Srinakharinwirot University conducting the exam instead.,
On 31 July 2026, Ms. Phakamon Noon Anan, a party-list MP for the Prachachon Party and chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Political Development, stated that more than 40 days have passed since officials raided a building in Nonthaburi. Yet, the massive 5-billion-baht local exam fraud case has seen little progress. So far, there has been only news about impending summonses or arrest warrants, with no sign of expanding investigations to track anyone's financial trails, despite multiple suspicious points suggesting the fraud was planned as a network starting from the TOR level.
Following inquiries within the Parliamentary Committee on Political Development, Mass Communication, and Public Participation, the Department of Local Administration (DLA) has asserted its innocence, claiming all procedures were properly followed. Srinakharinwirot University (SWU) likewise confirmed that it strictly adhered to the agreed terms of reference (TOR).
Ms. Phakamon observed from the start that the 2025 local exam fraud could not have been hastily improvised but was likely premeditated. She said it was clearly a networked operation, evident when reviewing the entire timeline, which shows irregularities dating back to 2023.
"The initial 'collusion' between the DLA and SWU, which led to such significant damage, is not a matter of fraud occurring mid-process. Rather, there are indications that the arrangement and planning were in place from the beginning."
Ms. Phakamon laid out the narrative that a scandal of this magnitude could not have been executed by a single party alone, nor just by low-level operators who had prepared in advance. Instead, it involved decision-makers at the highest level, starting with the contractor selection process — questioning why SWU was ultimately chosen despite quoting higher prices than other universities like Burapha University (BUU) or Surindra Rajabhat University.
"In fact, Burapha University initially won the bid, but the contractor was later changed to SWU, citing allegations of BUU's previous exam fraud. BUU appealed this decision and eventually won the appeal."
Timeline of the exam contract award process:
- December 2023: After BUU won the appeal, the DLA negotiated a price reduction, which BUU agreed to, lowering the contract to 82.5 million baht (about 275 baht per candidate).
- 28 December 2023: The DLA officially announced BUU as the winning bidder.
- 16 January 2024: BUU signed the exam contract with the DLA following standard procedures.
- 22 January 2024: The DLA issued a letter requesting a delay in contract signing, citing complaints that BUU had a history of exam fraud.
- 25 January 2024: BUU attended a meeting of the Central Committee for Local Government Competitive Exams (CCLGCE) along with the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), the Office of Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), and the Anti-Corruption and Misconduct Suppression Division (ACMSD) to clarify anti-fraud measures.
- May 2024: BUU attended another CCLGCE meeting to present additional plans and operational guidelines following the fact-finding committee's recommendations.
- February 2025: The DLA issued an announcement and letter dated 13 February 2025 canceling the bid winner announcement, effectively canceling the contract with BUU.
Facts and observations regarding the TOR:
Later, when questioned, the DLA clarified in meetings that it had found no complaints of fraud against BUU and had never informed BUU of the closure of the complaint investigation as previously stated.
One main reason cited by the DLA for canceling BUU’s contract was that “the original TOR was not sufficiently stringent and did not allow the client to monitor every step of the process.”
"This excuse is unreasonable and illogical because the TOR was set by a committee appointed by Narucha Kosasivilai (Director-General of the Department of Local Administration), and BUU, as the contractor, had no right to write or set the TOR initially."
Suspicion of 'specification locking':
After canceling BUU, the DLA sourced a new contractor, selecting SWU to conduct the exam, along with revising the TOR.
Ms. Phakamon noted that although the new TOR did not explicitly name the winning party, it changed several rules simultaneously, clearly favoring a particular bidder.
"Reviewing all these events does not claim that if BUU had been awarded the contract, fraud would not have occurred—no one knows that. Rather, it points out that the contractor selection process was intentionally 'locked' or 'rigged' from the start."
Ms. Phakamon revealed additional information from credible sources indicating that before the 'locking' occurred, certain conditions were pre-discussed and accepted by the winning bidder’s representatives. Ultimately, the interests aligned because 'someone submitted conditions, and someone responded to those conditions.'"