The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) committee observed the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) investigation into corruption in the Sisaket local exams, revealing hundreds of victims and over 300 million baht circulating in the area.
On 10 August 2026 at Sisaket Provincial Police Station, officials from the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) summoned suspects and victims involved in bribery related to the local exams for questioning. Three suspects appeared: Prayoon Decharan, Natkrit Trairat, and Prawit Jaruratchakul (Heng), a former candidate for the Pheu Thai Party MP position, along with victim Boonruam Wannawong.
Asapol Sontrai-phop, Chairman of the Committee on Prevention and Suppression of Corruption and Misconduct (NACC committee) of the House of Representatives, stated after observing the investigation that the DSI coordinated with Sisaket Provincial Police to conduct fieldwork. He submitted evidence to the NACC committee showing that corruption extends beyond the 5,925 names identified centrally, including lower-level victims who paid bribes but failed exams. These victims have filed 19 complaints in Sisaket Province.
Asapol said most victims are deeply distressed, wanting their children to work in local government. They were deceived by suspects demanding up to 650,000 baht, forcing them to borrow from informal lenders and sell their homes, cars, and assets. Ultimately, none passed the exams, resulting in daily interest burdens. When DSI conducted the field investigation, reports indicated a broker who took the money contacted victims to request full repayment on 20 August. He urged other victims to file complaints to increase chances of recovering their money and to ensure perpetrators face harsher penalties if they fail to return funds.
The NACC committee chairman added that among the 19 reported cases, local government officials such as subdistrict administrative clerks and various directors are involved. The Sisaket governor is preparing to appoint a disciplinary investigation committee. Moreover, investigations show that 600–700 people in Sisaket have been defrauded, paying cash to intermediaries at the central level. The financial loss in Sisaket alone reaches 300 million baht. If expanded nationwide across all 77 provinces, losses could reach tens of billions of baht.
Going forward, the NACC committee will use the "Sisaket model" as a guideline to expand the inquiry. They plan to send a letter to the Royal Thai Police requesting data to reopen local exam corruption cases from police stations nationwide. The information will also be forwarded to the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) to examine financial flows, as the offenses may qualify as predicate crimes and possibly as criminal offenses such as organized crime or fraud against the public.
Additionally, Asapol called on the Department of Local Administration (DLA) and the Ministry of Interior to promptly submit the list of 5,925 corrupt individuals, as per their memorandum of understanding, to the AMLO and the NACC. This will enable relevant agencies to comprehensively trace financial transactions throughout the system rather than prosecuting only small groups selectively.