The government spokesperson explained that the local official exam corruption case is not limited to removing the 5,925 candidates involved; investigations are expanding to identify all accomplices, with urgent financial trail checks underway for over 200 targets.
On 8 August 2026, Ms. Ratchada Thanadirek, spokesperson for the Office of the Prime Minister, addressed the government's approach to tackling corruption in the local administrative official recruitment exams, stating that it is not confined to just removing the 5,925 implicated candidates.
"We confirm that investigations are ongoing to identify all collaborators, to reveal the truth and restore fairness to those unfairly disadvantaged. The Prime Minister has instructed all agencies to act according to the principle of 'Name Closure, Behavior Consideration'—regardless of who is involved, anyone connected to the corruption must face prosecution."
There are three main actions being taken:
1. Removal of names of candidates involved in corruption: The Ministry of Interior has removed 5,295 candidates after confirming corruption in the local official exams. This was finalized in the Central Committee for Local Official Recruitment Exams (CCLORE) meeting, and on 6 August 2026, it was reported to the Central Committee for Local Officials (CCLO) to forward to the Provincial Local Officials Committees.
For the vacancies created by these removals, the CCLORE will discuss procedures including announcing new candidate lists and promoting other qualified candidates to fill the positions.
2. Criminal prosecution: The Royal Thai Police have issued summonses to 13 suspects divided into two groups. Charges include: 1) official misconduct; 2) government document forgery by abusing position; 3) certifying false evidence in official documents; 4) jointly causing loss or destruction of others' documents; 5) jointly forging official documents; and 6) jointly breaking seals or accessing sealed documents of others to read contents. This group includes a former director-general of the Department of Local Administration and the director of the Educational Testing and Psychology Bureau of Srinakharinwirot University.
Another group of 11 individuals involved in altering exam answer sheets face charges of conspiracy, criminal offenses under Section 188 of the Penal Code, and violations of the Computer Crime Act.
Once the investigators complete questioning and formally charge the suspects, the case files will be submitted to the National Anti-Corruption Commission for further inquiry by 12 August.
Regarding financial investigations, the Anti-Money Laundering Office is urgently examining the financial trails of over 200 targets but cannot disclose names due to legal restrictions. Further legal actions will proceed accordingly.
3. Mr. Pakorn Nilprapunt, Deputy Prime Minister and chairman of the fact-finding and legal committee on the 2025 local official recruitment exam corruption case, has completed the corruption findings. The next step is to submit the report to the Prime Minister for directives and for relevant agencies to proceed with civil, criminal, disciplinary, and ethical actions.
"These three measures not only hold the corrupt accountable but also restore fairness to honest candidates and rebuild public trust in the recruitment system at all government levels. This ensures that qualified individuals have fair opportunities to enter government service and helps prevent similar corruption in the future."