Ex-Local Administrator Theerutham Faces Six Criminal Charges
Former local administration chief Theerutham faces six criminal charges including breach of duty and document forgery in a rigged government recruitment exam scheme involving 13 suspects in Nonthaburi.
On August 6, 2569, Deputy Commander Netiwit Thanasitthinitkul of the Corruption Suppression Unit announced progress in the corruption case involving a rigged local government employee recruitment exam. Thirteen suspects have been summoned to hear charges, divided into two groups: eleven local government officials accused of altering answer sheets at a Nonthaburi private company, and two senior officials—Theerutham Suphawibulphol, former director-general of the Department of Local Administration, and Assoc. Prof. Ruangdej Sirikij, director of the Education and Psychology Testing Office at Srinakharinwirot University.
For Theerutham and Assoc. Prof. Ruangdej, investigators have filed six charges including breach of duty, forging official documents, certifying false evidence, document destruction, and unauthorized disclosure of sealed documents. The eleven lower-level officials face charges under Article 188 of the Criminal Code and the Computer Crime Act.
As of the announcement, six suspects—including Theerutham, Assoc. Prof. Ruangdej, and four exam officials—had already been interviewed. The remaining seven local government officials were scheduled to meet investigators by August 10. Once questioning is complete, the case will be forwarded to the National Anti-Corruption Commission within August 12.
The suppression unit has also referred the case to the Anti-Money Laundering Office to investigate the financial records of all suspects for signs of suspicious wealth. If evidence of unusual enrichment is found, additional charges can be filed immediately. The Department of Local Administration has separately filed charges against Srinakharinwirot University and Assoc. Prof. Ruangdej on July 24 for creating and certifying false documents, which investigators say is linked to the main case and will be examined together.
