Anti-Corruption Panel Threatens Legal Action Against Local Exam Board

At a parliamentary anti-corruption committee meeting on July 9, 2025, Chairman Asapoldh Sannitripath announced that Srinakharinwirot University was summoned to explain the exam procurement, question preparation, and grading procedures. The committee is investigating a widespread cheating scandal involving 5,000 of 15,000 newly hired local government employees. The board's chairman claimed to be unavailable and sent no representative, prompting Asapoldh to warn that mandatory legal action would follow if the board fails to appear at the next meeting.

Asapoldh emphasized the need to determine whether the 5,000 employees implicated in the fraud should remain on duty or be suspended pending final anti-corruption findings. He noted that this is the first major fraud case caught in the local government hiring process, despite investigations dating back to 2022. The committee will not interfere with ongoing investigations by other agencies but will monitor the case to ensure all wrongdoers face disciplinary action and criminal prosecution.

Asapoldh also raised questions about whether senior officials bear responsibility for the scandal and pledged to prevent future exam fraud through comprehensive system reviews. He confirmed that innocent candidates on the reserve list will be considered for promotion to fill positions vacated by those disqualified for cheating.