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Former MP and OBEC official jailed over futsal budget fraud

Former MP and OBEC official jailed over futsal budget fraud

Matichon•Politics•20m ago

Reader Briefing

The Appellate Court sentenced a former Pheu Thai MP and several officials and private individuals to prison for corrupting a 45 million baht budget for school futsal courts.

  • •Former MP Somying Buabut and Former OBEC Secretary-General Chinaphat Phumirattan were among 12 defendants sentenced.
  • •The case involved the diversion of 45,000,000 baht intended for schools in Amnat Charoen province.
  • •The court found evidence of 'lock-spec' bidding and overpriced synthetic rubber flooring totaling approximately 24,000,000 baht.
  • •Sentences included prison terms for several defendants and heavy fines for others.

Overview

  • •On August 25, the court read the judgment for case numbers Black Om.Oth 2/2024 and Red Om.Oth 4/2026.
  • •Somying Buabut used her position as an MP to designate schools in her constituency to receive 45,000,000 baht, violating constitutional prohibitions on MP involvement in annual budget spending.
  • •Chinaphat Phumirattan followed Somying Buabut's requirements to allocate the 2012 budget for futsal courts only, preventing 12 schools from repairing dilapidated buildings after a major flood.
  • •Adul Kongthong determined material price estimates to benefit defendants 9 through 11 and failed to conduct standard market price surveys.
  • •The Office of the Auditor General found that synthetic rubber flooring prices were inflated by approximately 24,000,000 baht and were unsuitable for outdoor courts.
  • •Anucha (Nontachit) Wongmaneerat and TVN Technology Co., Ltd. acted as front distributors to conceal the identity of the actual product owners.
  • •The court sentenced Somying Buabut to 3 years and 4 months in prison, Chinaphat Phumirattan to 5 years in prison, and Adul Kongthong to 5 years in prison.
  • •Defendants 4, 6, 8, and 10 were each ordered to pay a fine of 14,978,333.33 baht.

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Key Entities

Person

Somying Buabut(สมหญิง บัวบุตร)
Former Member of Parliament for Amnat Charoen from the Pheu Thai Party.
Chinaphat Phumirattan(ชินภัทร ภูมิรัตน)
Former Secretary-General of the Office of the Basic Education Commission.
Adul Kongthong(อดุลย์ กองทอง)
Former Director of the Amnat Charoen Primary Educational Service Area Office.
Anucha (Nontachit) Wongmaneerat(อนุชา หรือนนทชิต วงศ์มณีรัตน์)
The 5th defendant who acted as a product distributor.
Pornpen Phiromkit(พรเพ็ญ ภิรมย์กิจ)
The 7th defendant in the case.
Yee Panichaya(ยี พณิชยา)
The 9th defendant and product owner.
Benjaphan Bunbongkan(เบญจพันธ์ บุญบงการ)
The 11th defendant and product owner.
Piphat Kalaphat(พิพัฒน์ กาลพัฒน์)
The 12th defendant who coordinated price specifications and TORs.

Organization

Pheu Thai Party(พรรคเพื่อไทย)ℹ️
The political party of former MP Somying Buabut.
GOOD Limited Partnership(ห้างหุ้นส่วนจำกัด จี โอ โอ ดี)
The 4th defendant in the futsal budget case.
TVN Technology Co., Ltd.(บริษัท ที วี เอ็น เทคโนโลยี จำกัด)
The 6th defendant and product distributor.
YEE Co., Ltd.(บริษัท วาย อีอี จำกัด)
The 8th defendant and product owner.
Sport and Game Co., Ltd.(บริษัท สปอร์ต แอนด์ เกม จำกัด)
The 10th defendant and product owner.
Office of the Basic Education Commission(คณะกรรมการการศึกษาขั้นพื้นฐาน)ℹ️
The government body whose former secretary-general was involved in the case.
Office of the Auditor General(สำนักงานการตรวจเงินแผ่นดิน)
The agency that investigated and found overpriced materials in the futsal projects.
Supreme Court(ศาลฎีกา)ℹ️
The court where the judgment was read on August 25.

Law

Organic Act on Prevention and Suppression of Corruption 1999(พระราชบัญญัติประกอบรัฐธรรมนูญว่าด้วยการป้องกันและปราบปรามการทุจริต พ.ศ. 2542)
The law under which Somying Buabut was found guilty.
Act on Offenses Relating to Submission of Bids to Government Agencies 1999(พระราชบัญญัติว่าด้วยความผิดเกี่ยวกับการเสนอราคาต่อหน่วยงานของรัฐ พ.ศ. 2542)
The law under which several defendants were sentenced for unfair price bidding.

Place

Amnat Charoen(อำนาจเจริญ)ℹ️
The province where the futsal courts were constructed and where the MP held her constituency.