‘Unusually wealthy’ Thai officials sacked after US$57 million found in bank accounts

Four Thai officials have been terminated from their positions after authorities discovered over two billion baht (US$57 million) in their bank accounts, leading investigators to label the group as 'unusually wealthy'. Corruption is a prevalent issue in the Southeast Asian nation of Thailand, with officials frequently implicated in accepting minor bribes and pay-offs. However, amounts of this scale are seldom seen. The sum of approximately US$57 million was found distributed across multiple accounts owned by three women and a man, all of whom were employed in the Revenue Department in Samut Prakhan province, located near the capital city, Bangkok.

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has forwarded the case to the attorney general’s office and requested the Criminal Court for Corruption to conduct an investigation. The four individuals were 'unusually wealthy', stated Sornchai Chuwichian, the assistant secretary general and deputy spokesperson of the NACC. Their declared assets, inclusive of their bank deposits, did not align with their government salaries, as per Sornchai's statement in an NACC release on Monday. None of them could provide an explanation for the source of the funds. The male official, Danai Damrongchaiyothin, had 1. 1 billion baht (US$31 million) spread across seven accounts, while one of the women had over 500 million baht (US$14 million) in five accounts. The starting salary for a revenue official is less than US$450 per month. All four have been dismissed from their government positions, as per the NACC statement. It did not specify whether they had been charged or arrested.