The Democrat Party submitted a letter to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), urging the use of Sections 131 and 135 to protect witnesses in the local government exam corruption case, insisting the investigation should not stop at minor offenders but reach the 'big political figures'.
On 24 Aug 2026 GMT+7, a Democrat Party working group led by spokesman Pongsakorn Kwanmuang, party legal committee member Paisan Ruangrit, and policy committee secretary Pornchai Maranet submitted a letter to the NACC requesting clear guidelines and measures to protect witnesses among victims and those deceived into involvement in the local government official exam corruption case.
Paisan revealed that while public attention has focused on national politics, the local official exam corruption issue has been overlooked despite being a major problem undermining the bureaucracy and the country's structure. He has received numerous complaints and information via Facebook pages, including evidence, financial trails, and knowledge of the masterminds, but sources hesitate to come forward fearing legal repercussions.
The NACC has legal tools under the Anti-Corruption Act, specifically Sections 131 and 135, for protecting and shielding witnesses. The party seeks clarity on whether the NACC will employ these mechanisms to pursue the top perpetrators.
"If the NACC uses Sections 131 and 135 to protect witnesses, they will disclose everything. This won’t just expose minor players but will trace who orchestrated, ordered, and received money — the entire money trail. Currently, they are afraid to speak out for fear of prosecution."
Regarding the estimated damage, Paisan stated that with about 5,900 to 6,000 people involved and an average bribe of 600,000 baht each, the total loss exceeds 3 billion baht, excluding previous rounds. The impact is not only financial but heavily damages local bureaucracies including subdistrict administrative organizations (SAO), provincial administrative organizations (PAO), and municipalities. Honest citizens are disenfranchised, while new graduates caught in the scheme have been dismissed, facing ruined futures and severe stress, sometimes leading to suicide. The Democrat Party is prepared to act as an intermediary to ensure the case proceeds fully.
Pornchai explained that this process destroys opportunities for honest individuals and enables corruption from the very start of government service. It involves quotas from senior officials, department directors, and politicians, forcing officials who entered through corruption to become ongoing corrupt agents throughout their careers.
"These officials are locked into this corrupt system for life. Having started their careers through corruption, they are compelled to continue corrupt work within the bureaucracy, which is unacceptable since these individuals serve local communities and manage budgets meant for the majority of the population."
Pongsakorn added that this corruption is not limited to the Department of Local Administration or the Ministry of Interior but has also been detected in several state enterprises where payments have continued for at least five years. The corruption structure is divided into four stages. They are:
1. The payers who bribe to alter scores.
2. Middlemen who sell quotas.
3. The individuals who manipulate exam answers.
4. High-ranking officials including political figures.
When asked if the current investigation could reach the top perpetrators, Pongsakorn responded that if witness protection is genuinely provided, the information will definitely link to the entire network, with significant leads found in southern and northeastern regions. "There is reasonable belief that not only local executives but government administrators and ministers are involved. The problem is we cannot get them to testify officially because they fear imprisonment."