Worasit announced the local exam cheating case, revealing that the Ministry of Interior will propose to the Central Committee to restore fairness to the genuine successful candidates, including those already appointed who lost their rights, and to expedite the revision of transfer criteria. Completion is expected within October.
On 3 Sep 2026 at the Department of Local Administration Promotion, Worasit Liangprasit, Deputy Minister of the Interior, explained the facts regarding the annulment of appointments of those who altered competitive exam scores for local government civil service positions in 2025. Nirath Pongsitthawon, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior acting as Director-General of the Department of Local Administration Promotion, and Boonprasong Nualsai, Deputy Director-General, also joined the briefing.
Worasit said today's briefing is divided into two main parts: before the fraud occurred and after its discovery, along with solutions. Early in 2024, a procurement process was held to find an exam organizer. Burapha University was initially announced the winner, but before signing the contract, citizens from Sisaket province complained about irregularities and bribery demands. The Ministry of Interior then coordinated with partner agencies including the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), the Office of the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), and the Anti-Corruption Police Division to set preventive measures, establish a fact-finding committee, and create a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to oversee every exam step. The committee proposed three key points: use the Civil Service Commission's written exam results, enhance anti-corruption measures, and involve partners in monitoring all steps. The Central Committee approved these enhanced measures and partner involvement.
"These enhanced measures altered the exam process and budget framework, making the original contract unusable. The Department of Local Administration Promotion consulted with the Comptroller General's Department and received confirmation that it was permissible to do so. This led to canceling the contract with the original university. It should be emphasized that the contract cancellation was not ordered by the Minister of Interior or political figures as distorted, but was the authority of the Central Committee and the respective committees following proper procedures. Ignoring the complaints then would have been neglect of duty. Subsequently, an electronic bidding process was used, open to all, registering candidates first to know exact numbers for price setting to protect public interest. Market price surveys were conducted among several institutions. Srinakharinwirot University (SWU) won the bid transparently despite an appeal from Surindra Rajabhat University, which was rejected by the Comptroller General's Department's adjudication committee, confirming SWU as the contractor," Worasit said.
Worasit continued that after the exam was conducted and fraud detected on 22 June 2024, the NACC, a partner under the 2024 MOU, immediately investigated. They noted that if the fraudsters had intended to cheat, they would not have allowed NACC and police oversight from the start. Investigations were divided into three parts: NACC handled the main corruption cases, police pursued the daily extortion ring involving intermediaries, and the Ministry of Interior managed administrative actions including fact-finding and serious disciplinary committees. The investigation found 5,925 individuals had altered scores to pass. The Central Committee announced new exam results and ordered provincial governors and local administrative organizations nationwide to complete removal of those appointed by 31 August 2024, which has now been fully completed.
"Further measures include submitting offender data to five law enforcement agencies (NACC, PACC, Anti-Money Laundering Office, DSI, and the Anti-Corruption Police Division) for criminal prosecution; notifying all public exam organizers to monitor those who altered scores; consulting with the Council of State to reclaim salaries and benefits from those removed; postponing the final installment payment to SWU and consulting the Attorney General about responsibility for the first three payments made; establishing provincial legal support teams to assist local governments if sued; and ordering governors and district chiefs to prevent local governments from rehiring dismissed individuals under service contracts, with directives to delay hiring this group," Worasit said.
Worasit added regarding restoring fairness to genuine successful candidates, including those already appointed but who losttheir rightsto choose their location, and those waiting to be called for appointment, that the Ministry of Interior will propose to the Central Committee to amend transfer regulations to speed up the process. Completion is expected by October, and once vacancies are clearly identified, genuine candidates on the waiting list will be appointed fully by November 2024 to preserve the benefits and fairness for truly qualified individuals.
"Finally, I reaffirm the government's seriousness in combating corruption. It must be clarified that no prior competitive exam has involved oversight from agencies like the NACC from the start to uncover such a large fraud network. The term 'closing the case' used by the Director-General only refers to completing management of exam records and removing corrupt candidates, not ending criminal proceedings. The NACC and police continue investigations to prosecute all masterminds and involved individuals, regardless of rank—whether C10, C11, or higher—and will pursue justice thoroughly," Worasit concluded.