BANGKOK, April 2 — The Thai government has assured that the investigation into the collapse of the State Audit Office building will be conducted transparently.
Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong said the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has officially classified the Office of the Auditor-General building's collapse as a special case.
The decision was made under the authority of the DSI director-general, as the case falls under the Special Case Investigation Act 2004.
He said there are no concerns about the handling of this case, despite the company in question being a Chinese state-owned enterprise.
"The investigation will be conducted transparently, regardless of who is involved. The probe will also extend to at least 10 other government-awarded projects connected to the company, as well as a review of foreign engineers working under student visas," Tawee said in a statement today.
On Friday (March 28), the State Audit Office's new headquarters' construction site, located in the Chatuchak district near the Bang Sue Grand Station, collapsed following powerful tremors from an earthquake in Myanmar.
He added that the DSI would investigate other foreign joint-venture companies nationwide to identify any nominee structures and take legal action accordingly.
Evidence gathered so far indicates that the company involved in the construction had nominee ownership — typically, foreign companies investing in Thailand must maintain a shareholding structure of 51 per cent Thai ownership and 49 per cent foreign ownership.
"The DSI has sufficient evidence to believe that this company operates as a nominee. Given that the damages exceed 100 million baht, the case qualifies as a special investigation," Tawee said.
Beyond the nominee structure violation, the probe would extend to sub-standard construction materials that failed to meet the Thai Industrial Standards Institute's requirements, bid rigging, and the overall quality of construction, which were key factors in the collapse.
He said the DSI will invite external agencies, including the Revenue Department and the Ministry of Industry, to join in the investigation, leveraging on their expertise in the matter.
Meanwhile, the Bangkok Emergency Medical Centre, better known as the Erawan Centre, reported that the death toll in the Thai capital following the disaster has risen to 22, with another 34 people injured and more than 70 still missing.
It said most of the fatalities occurred in the collapse of the State Audit Office building, where 15 bodies have been recovered, while over 70 people remain missing.
— Bernama
