Asapol clarifies that Director-General Narucha is not involved in local civil service exam corruption. He plans to invite the chairman of the new TOR drafting committee to provide factual information at the Anti-Corruption Commission meeting on Thursday, 27 Aug 2026 GMT+7.
On 22 Aug 2026 GMT+7 at the parliament, Mr. Asapol Santraiphop, Member of Parliament for Sisaket from the Bhumjaithai Party and chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Anti-Corruption (PACC Committee), addressed claims made during an interview on the analytical news program Inside Thailand by Donai Ekmahasawat and Amornrat Mahittruk that a director-general was involved in local civil service exam corruption, naming Mr. Narucha Kosasivilai, former Director-General of the Department of Provincial Administration. He explained that he may have misspoken or misheard the question due to noise in the environment.
"I confirm that Director-General Narucha is not involved in the corruption. He was the one who signed the appointment of the chairman and members of the new TOR drafting committee, which uncovered the arrest of the mayoral clerk of Nakhon Ratchasima Municipality. So far, neither the chairman nor the members of the TOR drafting committee have been invited to provide information. Therefore, at the PACC Committee meeting on Thursday, 27 Aug 2026 GMT+7, the chairman of the TOR drafting committee will be invited to provide details about the incident." Mr. Asapol said.
The chairman of the PACC Committee stated that at the recent committee meeting, the secretary of the fact-finding and legal working group led by Mr. Pakorn Nilprapan, Deputy Prime Minister for Legal Affairs, reported that the 30-day investigation period has now reached level 10, involving director-generals and local civil servants. This working group has completed its tasks, and further actions will be undertaken by the National Anti-Corruption Commission, the Anti-Money Laundering Office, and the Anti-Corruption Organization. However, this working group focused on fact-finding and gathering useful information, which differs from the statements made by Burapha University through the media.
The case originated in 2021 during the local civil service examinations. Before the exams, complaints of corruption emerged, leading to the arrest of a municipal clerk in Nakhon Ratchasima Province. Consequently, the TOR was revised. Burapha University was the actual winner of the bid, but following the arrest and the discovery of large-scale corruption in 2021, the TOR was amended. After the revisions, the conditions changed substantially. The client inquired whether Burapha University could still conduct the exams at the proposed price. The university responded that due to the significant changes, such as nationwide exam administration and on-site answer checking, they could not fulfill the original terms. Therefore, no contract was signed, and a new bidding process commenced. Burapha University was invited but did not participate. This is the information reported by the working group to the committee. The working group noted that Burapha University was invited to provide information but did not attend, raising questions about why they refrained, which contradicts their media statements.
Mr. Asapol said that during a study visit to the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), inquiries about the local exam corruption case revealed that intermediaries in provinces like Sisaket were involved. The DSI director-general stated that suspects and accused persons have been fully interrogated. A key point is that this corruption network is not new; it has been ongoing. Importantly, regardless of which university organizes the exam, these intermediaries connected to the corrupt process know the exam administrators at all universities and can find channels to commit fraud.
"Currently, the information primarily concerns local politicians and has not reached the national political level. When Rangsiman Rome spoke about this, the DSI stated in a meeting that it was only news with no concrete information yet. I urge the DSI and the National Anti-Corruption Commission to invite Mr. Rangsiman Rome to provide details about the news he referred to, because we have no such details. Accusing third parties without evidence is unfair to those involved," he said. The chairman of the PACC Committee added.
Mr. Asapol said that the PACC Committee is monitoring progress to ensure all corrupt individuals are punished. Many citizens wonder why no one has been penalized after nearly a month. The process has advanced: the Department of Local Administration has invalidated the exams of over 3,000 civil servants who failed, removing them from service, while those qualified have been appointed. For criminal proceedings, the NACC representative explained that it will take about 10 months before cases go to court. The NACC will also study the findings from Mr. Pakorn's team to expedite prosecutions. Meanwhile, the Asset Recovery Office has already proceeded with civil cases. Its secretary has announced forthcoming news about asset seizures of some offenders, with civil court lawsuits forthcoming. In 99 percent of cases, courts agree with the Asset Recovery Office to confiscate assets for the state. Both civil and criminal proceedings are underway, and the committee will continue to monitor and report progress to the public.