Air force vows zero tolerance for bribery in asphalt deals

The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) has said it will not protect any of its logistics officers found to have been involved in bribery over two procurements of asphalt concrete pavers in 2019 and 2020.
AM Prapas Sornchaidee, the RTAF spokesman, said in Friday that an investigation into the procurements was conducted on the order of air force chief ACM Panpakdee Pattanakul.
The action came after the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) found that executives with Wirtgen (Thailand), a Thai subsidiary of US-based agricultural and construction equipment firm Deere, bribed Thai government officials to secure procurement contracts with several agencies.
Deere accepted responsibility for the misdeeds of the subsidiary and paid $10 million in damages under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the SEC said.
The air force probe found that Wirtgen had, from November 2019 to March 2020, won two e-bidding contracts for asphalt concrete pavers, worth 6.09 million and 10.2 million baht.
AM Prapas said a disciplinary committee would be set up if air force officers were found involved in the bribery, adding that any officers involved would face the fullest extent of the law.
He said the air force was continuing to investigate further and is reviewing all related contracts and procedures based on the Public Procurement and Supplies Administration Act BE 2560 (2017) and relevant laws.
Obtaining accurate and fair audit results for all parties will take some time, but the air force will try to wrap up the investigation as quickly as possible, he said. He added that the Office of the Air Attaché at the Thai Embassy in Washington is also seeking more evidence from the SEC.