Thread: 2 nabbed for B200m Supoj home heist

Maybe the Thai "courts" (cough) drop charges against Supoj if the US drops it's pro-amart-driven charges against Siriwan? Quid pro quo?

Originally Posted by man digging bigger hole for himself

Mr Supoj insisted he had acquired his wealth honestly, saying he had done special jobs to earn extra money since being a university student and after he entered government service.

He claimed that while working at the Highways Department, he spent much of his spare his time working as a consultant to many firms.

Mr Supoj also maintained that he has had an unblemished record while working in government service.

This must be some of the most honest statments to come out of this guy. I happly belive that much of his wealth does indeed come from companies hiring his services as a consultant, and that in his mind he trully cannot see anything dishonest or wrong in this.


In any country that was not systemically currupt this would be seen for what it is, an admission of curruption and lets be honest the primary form of curruption within the policical classes in most western countries too.

My guess would that the companies who hired his consultant services found that with his help and advice they found it much easire to win government contracts, get paid and have their work signed off. Which i would imagine why goldman, serco, halliburn et al likewise provide rather sweet consulatcies and jobs to senier civile servents and polititcians. I would also imagine that this is just as legal here as it in the west, wich would explain why he is happy to admit to it. But to me this is simply an admission that he has prostituted his poslition for personal gain at massive cost to the country.

It still does not explain the money in his bedroom, but presumably this is the point, to provide a distraction that the anti curruption investigation can be coherced into following and exonorating him.

Those of you who think the theives are going to be made to suffer by this man, should think again. They have a poo yai who didn't think twice about sending them in to steal the money, they have given him his money..... Over 100 million baht. And lets be honest this guy has a status which is enough to keep our billion baht civil servent and the people he now serves very quiet about who this person is. To maintain his poo yai status amungst his other minions this guy will have to, within the usual limits, demostrate that he is taking care of his people. I have a feeling that sometime in the next 10 years these theft charges will disapear or they theives will get very light sentencing.

Thai-ASEAN News Network - Probe on Top Transport Official's Wealth Cancelled



Probe on Top Transport Official's Wealth Cancelled

UPDATE : 20 February 2012

A special panel terminates its inquiry into the alleged unusual wealth of the former Transport Ministry permanent secretary citing lack of evidence as the reason.

The ad-hoc committee investigating the charge of irregular wealth against former Transport Ministry permanent secretary Supoj Saplom will wait until the National Anti-Corruption Commission, or NACC and other assigned bodies reach a conclusion about the issue.


The committee's chairman Tongthong Chantarangsu said the questions about the actual total amount of cash robbed from Supoj's home and how he acquired his wealth cannot be settled.

Tongthong stated the information his panel has obtained is not sufficient to suggest Supoj's supervisor take disciplinary action against him.

Supoj has been transferred to an inactive post at Government House during the investigation.

The NACC has given Supoj a 30-day extension for his testimony originally scheduled to be handed over on February 7. This is to give him time to prepare documents on his finances over the past ten years to clarify the aquisition of his wealth.

Hahahahahaha, it's just all so predictable!

and they wonder why they could never catch Thaksin on corruption or fraud

So much for Phua Thai cleaning things up. The "upper class" has and always will rule this place. Even a different set of rules in place. You have to know the rules if you are going to play the game. Seems Supoj knew them well. Fcuk me.

More detail in the Bangkok Post....

Committee scraps inquiry into Supoj's missing cash | Bangkok Post: news

Committee scraps inquiry into Supoj's missing cash

• Published: 21/02/2012 at 02:51 AM
• Newspaper section: News

A panel investigating permanent secretary for transport Supoj Saplom's alleged unusual wealth has decided to discontinue its investigation, citing a lack of information.


Supoj: Waiting to be reinstated

PM's Office permanent secretary Thongthong Chandrangsu, who heads the inquiry committee, said yesterday the panel has decided to cease its probe because there was insufficient information to submit to the transport minister to launch disciplinary proceedings against Mr Supoj.

It should now be left to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) and other agencies to investigate and reach a conclusion on the issue, Mr Thongthong said.

He said the committee will ask the Transport Ministry to follow up on the case closely.

Mr Supoj said yesterday that it depends on Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to decide if he should be reinstated while the NACC probe is under way.

He has been moved to the Prime Minister's Office on temporary duties following the scandal.

Citing the Thongthong committee's decision, he said the robbery suspects' statement about volumes of cash in his house did not have grounds.

Mr Supoj has insisted he lost 5 million baht during the robbery at his house on Nov 12 last year, not hundreds of millions of baht as has been alleged.

The suspects claimed to have seen a cash fortune in the house which they estimated was worth between 700 million and 1 billion baht.

Mr Supoj is scheduled to appear before the NACC to clarify the unusual wealth allegations on March 8.

He insisted that he had solid evidence and witnesses to back up his claim of innocence.

He also said he can explain the origins of his wealth accumulated over the years.

The NACC earlier came out to tell the public it found about 20 million baht in several of Mr Supoj's bank accounts, but Mr Supoj insisted that he had accumulated the amount of money from overtime work between 1978 and 2002.

"During that time I was just a junior engineer with no authorisation to approve [construction] projects and the money was not transferred at one time. So I am ready to clarify," he said.

A source at the Transport Ministry said no new investigation would be ordered against Mr Supoj, pending the NACC's findings.

However, the source said that the Thongthong committee's decision does not mean Mr Supoj is cleared of the allegations.

"The panel didn't find any grounds, but the NACC said otherwise," the source said.

"So we need to see the results of a full NACC investigation."

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

but Mr Supoj insisted that he had accumulated the amount of money from overtime work between 1978 and 2002. "During that time I was just a junior engineer with no authorisation to approve [construction] projects and the money was not transferred at one time. So I am ready to clarify," he said.

Wonder what his salary was as a junior engineer? Just lie more, you dont have a thing to worry about.

^Overtime at half pay too.

Thai-ASEAN News Network - NACC Launches Full Corruption Investigation on Former Transport Ministry Permanent Secretary

NACC Launches Full Corruption Investigation on Former Transport Ministry Permanent Secretary

UPDATE : 21 February 2012

The National Anti-Corruption Commission secretary general has announced that the NACC will continue their investigation into the former Permanent Secretary of the Transport Ministry, Supoj Saplom, for possessing unusual wealth despite the decision by the Prime Minister's Office not to pursue the case due to lack of evidence.

Secretary General of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, or the NACC, Apinant Isarangkura na Ayudhaya has announced that even though the probe committee appointed by the Prime Minister's Office has decided to cease their investigation into former Permanent Secretary of the Transport Ministry Supoj Saplom's unusual wealth due to lack of evidence, the NACC will continue its own investigation.

Apinant has also downplayed concerns that Supoj will use the Prime Minister's Office's decision in his defense. The NACC secretary general also added that the committee is not pressured by the probe because the charge is based on evidence gathered by its sub-committees.

Thongtong panel's 'no-case' decision a letdown | Bangkok Post: opinion

Thongtong panel's 'no-case' decision a letdown

No effort made to find the source of Supoj's questionable wealth

• Published: 21/02/2012 at 07:01 PM
• Online news: Opinion

Barely three months after the inquiry into the alleged unusual wealth of Supoj Saplom began the team has thrown in the towel, ending the investigation and raising public suspicions about the government's sincerity in promising to deal harshly with the problem of corruption.

Dr Sungsidh Piriyarangsan of Rangsit University made a good point in his reaction to the decision by the Thongthong Chandrangsu fact-finding committee to end its probe into the source of transport permanent secretary Supoj's surprisingly large fortune.


Thongthong Chandrangsu (Photo by Kosol Nakachol)

Prime Minister’s Office permanent secretary Thongthong said on Monday there was insufficient evidence to justify disciplinary proceedings against Mr Supoj because it could not be determined just how much money was actually stolen from his home by the burglars.

Mr Supoj’s house was robbed on Nov 12 and he said five million baht was stolen, but the robbers later arrested by police were caught with 18 million baht and claimed they had discovered an amount of cash stashed in the house so large they were unable to carry it away with them.

Dr Sungsidh said the Thongthong committee’s decision to end its investigation would increase public doubts about the government’s determination to deal with corruption. The case, he said, had attracted widespread public interest because of the huge amount of cash reportedly involved and lingering suspicions about the source of the money, and whether it was legally acquired.

Indeed, the Thongthong committee’s decision is a big letdown, and most certainly premature as it is barely three months since the panel started looking into the allegations of unusual wealth.

The panel should have tried harder. It needed to spend more time digging into the case to determine whether Supoj is unusually rich. It is far too early to throw in the towel and walk away from it.

When the robbery was first reported by the media, one of the first questions that popped into the minds of many people was: who in their right mind would keep tens, maybe hundreds, of millions of baht in cash in their house instead of putting it in banks, where it is not only safer but also earns interest - unless, of course, the money is not clean?

Mr Thongthong’s explanation is not good enough because it has not shed any light on the source of the money. Does it mean that the committee is satisfied with Supoj’s explanation about how he acquired his wealth, and that it was in an honest fashion?

The onus now rests on the National Anti-Corruption Commission to carry on with its investigation.

The public can, at least, have greater trust and confidence in the NACC, given its credibility, than it can in a government-appointed inquiry panel.

Hopefully, the anti-graft body will produce an inquiry result which is more acceptable, uncompromised and fair.

NACC freezes Supoj's assets | Bangkok Post: news

NACC freezes Supoj's assets

• Published: 28/02/2012 at 05:36 PM
• Online news: Politics

The National Anti-Corruption Commission has resolved to freeze some of the assets of transport permanent secretary Supoj Saplom, NACC spokesman Klanarong Chanthik said on Tuesday.


Supoj Saplom

Mr Supoj has been transferred to an inactive position at the Prime Minister's Office, pending the conclusions of the NACC's investigation into whether he is unusually wealthy.

Mr Klanarong said the NACC ordered Mr Supoj's assets frozen as recommended by a subcommittee investigating his wealth.

During the course of investigation, the subcommittee had found that Mr Supoj transferred three plots of land with buildings on them worth a total of about 20 million baht in Soi Lat Phrao 64 in Bangkok's Wang Thong Lang district to his daughter and son-in-law on Jan 15 and 19 this year.

The NACC's wealth investigation follows a burglary at Mr Supoj's house in Wang Thong Lang district on the night of Nov 11 last year while the transport permanent secretary was attending his daughter's wedding at a hotel.

A number of suspects were arrested after the burglary. The suspects told police they took about 200 million baht from the house and that they saw stacks of cash in the house, estimating the value at between 700 million and one billion baht.

Mr Supoj insisted he had only five million baht in the house and that the money was part of the wedding dowry for his daughter.

Suspects arrested by police were found in possession of more than 12.7 million baht, causing police to become suspicious.

The NACC then suspected Mr Supoj might have submitted false declarations of his assets, and launched an investigation.

Mr Supoj has until March 8 to submit a defence statement to the NACC.

bad news turns better, but he will slither out of it.

^he does appear to have successfully found new patrons to replace the old one's he lost in the last election. Quite a remarkable achievement which does rather explain both there robbery and his success, so far, in avoiding anything too serious.

I reckon this is how it's going.....

NACC concentrates on 20+ million transferred to daughter. Elevates it to being the focal point of the case.

The issue will build and build, long enough to focus people on that and enough time for people to get bored or forget the full story.

Then they will conclude that money was indeed inherited and how good is a man that even when told not to transfer assets did the brave thing of transferring assets to his sweet newly married daughter. What a 'jail dee' father to do such a thing for his loyal and loving family.

It would be 'jail rai' of the NACC to prosecute such a man for a technical infringement of transferring legal assets when told not to. At the bottom of the report exonerating him will be a footnote saying they have no evidence of a large sum of money at his house.

End of cae.

^I think your rity much spot on, he clearly has has patrons with political clout within the current administartion, he has been looked after so far and i cannot see why that will not continue

Supoj wants assets freeze lifted | Bangkok Post: news

Supoj wants assets freeze lifted

• Published: 5/03/2012 at 07:03 PM
• Online news: Local News

Transport permanent secretary Supoj Saplom on Monday confirmed he has requested the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) reverse the order freezing five million baht in cash stolen from him by burglars on the night of his daughter's wedding.


Transport permanent secretary Supoj Saplom (Photo by Pattanapong Hirunard)

Mr Supoj maintained the money was part of the wedding dowry for his daughter.

He said he will appear before the NACC on Thursday to submit a defence statement. He believed the anti-corruption watchdog will understand his position.

The freeze was recommended by an NACC sub-panel which is investigating Mr Supoj for unusual wealth after the arrested robbers claimed to have seen a vast sum of cash stashed in his house during the break-in on Nov 12 last year.

Mr Supoj, who was transferred to the Prime Minister's Office pending the investigation, was found to have transferred three plots of land, along with other property, to his eldest daughter on Jan 15 and Jan 19 this year.

He said the transfers were straightforward. He inherited land from his parents in 1971 and obtained loans to build a house.

Hell, he's doing anything he can to lose his assets before they're taken away from him.

I don't think he's feeling very optimistic about the whole deal.

I do wonder why the focus stays on a minority "Thai" corrupt official instead of moving on to the legion of Thai-Chink corrupt officials who's families really run this country (for themselves).

^because he's a 'big fish' that got caught with his pants down?

Have we and the nation said our sorrys to this poor chap yet; has he been compensated for our bad words towards him - it's moving in that direction and rightly so...

I love Thai culture.

^thai culture does seem optimised designed to make life easy for the nations psychopaths and sociopaths. Are there any other cultures out there that make calling out a lier such a social taboo?

Supoth claims millions earned from second job - The Nation

Supoth claims millions earned from second job

THE NATION March 9, 2012 1:00 am


Suphoth Sublom, the suspended permanent secretary for Transport being investigated for possible corruption, yesterday told the national anti-graft agency that he earned extra income by moonlighting as an engineering designer for 20 years. However, a member of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), which is investigating the allegations, yesterday said Suphoth could not produce documents to prove his claim.

NACC member Preecha Lertkamolmart said the agency asked Suphoth to appear before it again on March 26 as his testimony was incomplete. "He has to come by himself to explain the source of his extra income," Preecha said.

The NACC members needed to study more than 200 pages of documents that Suphoth submitted an hour before he met the graft-busters yesterday, according to Preecha, who added the agency would also have to interrogate more than 10 witnesses named by Suphoth.

After meeting with commission members for over three hours, Suphoth told reporters yesterday that he had "answered all the NACC's questions" - verbally, in writing and with supporting documents".

He insisted that only Bt5 million was stolen from his house in November. Police seized Bt18 million from the suspected robbers. Suphoth said he was not concerned about his case. He said he had earned extra money honestly between 1977 and 1997 by doing extra work producing engineering designs.

Preecha said Suphoth had not been able to produce documents to support his claim. "Suphoth said it was 20 years ago, and that the banks could not help because they don't have records going back further than 10 years," Preecha said.


-----
Watchdog questions Supoj for three hours on sources of extra income | Bangkok Post: news

Watchdog questions Supoj for three hours on sources of extra income

• Published: 9/03/2012 at 09:20 AM
• Newspaper section: News

Three hours was not enough for Supoj Saplom to clear his name of "unusual wealth" concerns in testimony yesterday before the National Anti-Corruption Commission.

Commissioner Preecha Lertkamolmart said the panel questioned the permanent secretary for transport and his lawyer for more than three hours, but wants him to come back again.

Mr Supoj handed over 200-pages of documents to substantiate his claim that he had made his millions legitimately.

Preecha Lertkamolmart said Mr Supoj had yet to clarify the sources of his "extra earnings" which he has accumulated over the years.

Mr Supoj has been called back to testify again on March 26 and is required to appear in person. "The statement isn't complete. He has to testify in person about his extra incomes. He can't send his lawyer," Mr Preecha said.

Mr Preecha said the permanent secretary told the NACC he had a secondary job in construction design.

The NACC member said the agency needs more time to go through the document which Mr Supoj submitted to the agency, one hour before yesterday's meeting.

Mr Preecha said Mr Supoj defended his integrity and maintained he did his best to protect the state's interest.

He said the NACC will not look into claims Mr Supoj concealed his wealth until the unusual wealth allegation is clarified.

The NACC has asked the Anti-Money Laundering Office to trace Mr Supoj's assets and possible connections with private firms, he said.

Mr Preecha said the transport permanent secretary, who is currently on temporary assignment at the Prime Minister's Office, stuck by his claims that he lost about 5 million baht during a break-in at his home on Nov 12 last year.

The break-in triggered the corruption probe into Mr Supoj after the thieves claimed to have seen a vast sum of cash at his house.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Supoj said he earned his wealth in an honest manner. "I had secondary job. I was hired to do construction design. I did it for tens of years," he said.

Mr Supoj said he explained why he had decided to transfer 20 million baht in assets to his daughter after the NACC ordered his assets frozen.

He said he told how he acquired the assets and why he transferred them to his daughter despite the ongoing inquiry into his alleged unusual wealth.

Once a shining star, Supoj now fights for survival | Bangkok Post: news

Once a shining star, Supoj now fights for survival

The permanent secretary for transport has long enjoyed a key position in one of the country's most lucrative ministries, but a robbery in November and the 'unusual wealth' allegations that came with it have sent him spiralling downward

• Published: 11/03/2012 at 02:33 AM
• Newspaper section: News

Permanent secretary for transport Supoj Saplom faces an uphill battle as he tries to clear his name from ''unusual wealth'' allegations made by the National Anti-Corruption Commission.


‘MOONLIGHTING’ FOR MILLIONS: Permanent secretary for transport Supoj Saplom in front of his house in Wang Thong Lang district after the National Anti-Corruption Commission ordered a freeze on his assets. PHOTO: PATTANAPONG HIRUNARD

Mr Supoj appeared before the panel for three hours on Thursday and presented 200 pages of documents to prove the sources of his income, in addition to 36 financial statements he submitted to the NACC in January. ''I had a second job in construction design. I did that for 10 or 20 years after office hours,'' he said.

He managed to convince the panel to unfreeze 20 million baht worth of land and property that was seized on Feb 28. Mr Supoj transferred the assets to his eldest daughter on Jan 15 and 19.

He transferred three plots of land to his daughter, including a 400 square metre house on Soi Lat Phrao 77, which he inherited from his parents in 1971, and a 600 sq m plot in Nakhon Nayok. He transferred the properties, he said, because he was ''getting old''.

''I don't understand. The transfers took place in January. That was two months after my house was robbed. I had no intention of relocating my assets,'' he said.

A source at the NACC said that Mr Supoj's submission of so many documents on Thursday could have been a stall tactic.

Despite the submission, the anti-graft agency remains unconvinced of Mr Supoj's innocence and has set March 26 for another round of questioning. Mr Supoj will be required to attend and will not be able to send a lawyer to represent him, according to Preecha Lertkamolmart, a NACC member and the lead investigator in the case.

Mr Supoj came to be in his current predicament after his home was burglarised on Nov 12 last year.

He was at his daughter's wedding ceremony when a group of burglars broke into his house and fled with bags stuffed with cash. He told police that five million baht had been stolen, but when police arrested the robbers and recovered the loot it totalled more than 18 million baht. The suspects claimed to have seen a fortune in cash in the house, which they estimated to be between 700 million and one billion baht.

Mr Supoj insisted again on Thursday that 5.06 million baht was stolen and that the money had been set aside as a dowry for his daughter. He denied any wrongdoing.

The massive sum involved in the case led the NACC to look into the matter to determine whether Mr Supoj intentionally hid wealth by filing incorrect statements to the commission, a requirement for senior officials and politicians.

''The conflicting accounts of how much money was involved is key to the investigation,'' the NACC source said.

Mr Supoj's rise to the top job at one of the government's most lucrative ministries came as no surprise.

He took his first civil service job at the Interior Ministry in 1977 after graduating from King Mongkut's University of Technology in Thon Buri with a degree in engineering. The following year he moved to the Royal Irrigation Department under the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry.

However, his career really took off in 1979, the year he moved to the Transport Ministry, serving first as an engineer before becoming chief of the Highways Department and the Rural Highways Department. Both departments receive huge budgets as road construction and improvement is always a top government priority.

Transport ministers have come and gone, but Mr Supoj's career has steadily progressed.

''He gets along well with whoever is controlling the ministry. Still, he's closest to Banharn Silpa-archa,'' an official familiar with Mr Supoj said. Mr Banharn was transport minister in 1992. Mr Supoj also worked with deputy transport minister Nikorn Chamnong, from Mr Banharn's former party Chart Thai, for four years starting in 2002.

In 2005, then transport minister Sohpon Zarum hand-picked Mr Supoj to serve in his current position partly because of his close ties with Chart Thai. Mr Sohpon was a Chart Thai member before defecting with Newin Chidchob to set up the Bhumjaithai Party.

Mr Supoj was indispensable in making the ''dust-free'' road programme _ a plan to create a nationwide network of sealed roads _ a reality. More than 8,000 projects were part of the scheme, which had a budget of 170 billion baht.

Mr Supoj defied expectations when he survived following the Pheu Thai Party's election win, which saw Bhumjaithai sent to the opposition bench.

''He has been outstanding since he was the Highways Department chief. He is very articulate. He knows when to say something and what to say,'' the official familiar with him said.

The official said that was why Mr Supoj has stayed out of the public eye and remained mostly tight-lipped since the NACC investigation began. He has been temporarily transferred to the PM's Office while the case is pending.

Despite his past successes, the robbery in November reversed his fortunes. Even his profile on the Transport Ministry's website was deleted, although he officially still holds his title.

A disciplinary inquiry panel cleared him on Jan 20. Permanent secretary for the PM's Office Thongthong Chandrangsu, who headed the panel, called off the inquiry due to insufficient information. But he could face disciplinary action again if the NACC decides to take action against him.

Mr Supoj took part in a merit-making ceremony when he turned 59 on Feb 27, only to find out one day later that the NACC had seized his assets.

And now his fate rests with the NACC as the agency moves forward with the case.