BMA corruption claims spice up governor campaign

Economic Party chief says ‘grandfather’ behind Chadchart pulls all the strings

The election campaign for Bangkok governor heated up on Saturday after Economic Party leader Kris Potranan alleged systemic corruption within the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).

Mr Kris claimed a group he described as the “Agong regime” — a de facto “shadow governor” network — operated behind the scenes of the administration of incumbent Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt, who is running for a second term. Mr Chadchart earlier this week denied the claim.

“Agong”, meaning paternal grandfather, is occasionally used in a political context to refer to a respected elder.

Speaking at a press conference that featured an organisational chart, Mr Kris alleged that the network included public officials appointed by the governor and an individual identified only by the initials “Por Ror”, whom he described as part of a wider “Chula Connection” network.

Mr Kris also alleged that payments of up to 4 million baht were demanded in exchange for appointments to district director positions, citing complaints from assistant directors who opposed the system.

He further alleged that district offices generated illicit income through several departments, including law enforcement, sanitation, environment and public works, citing inflated fees and informal charges tied to licences and inspections. He played an audio recording during the press conference to support the accusations.

According to Mr Kris, candidates seeking promotion were invited to meetings with the individual in question at a venue in the Sutthisan area and required to leave their mobile phones outside before discussions. Those who refused to make payments would not receive promotions, he claimed.

“Everything in the BMA is run by Agong who acts as the real governor behind the scenes while the one who formally signed off on decisions was Mr Chadchart,” he said.

He also questioned the transparency of the appointments of several district directors across Bangkok, asking whether some officials had paid for their posts.

Mr Kris said district office directors, who are paid between 50,000 and 70,000 baht a month, would not be able to secure the posts unless they had access to other sources of income.

He said that Mr Chadchart could deny any involvement but the alleged 4-million-baht payment amounted to a “concession fee” allowing district directors to profit from their assigned areas.

Death for corruption

The Economic Party, known for its nationalist and libertarian economic views, won three list seats in the Feb 8 general election and is part of the Bhumjaithai-led coalition government.

During the election campaign, the party proposed a tough new anti-corruption law, with the death penalty for the most egregious offences, and execution within one year after a Supreme Court ruling.

Torsak Chotimongkol, former chairman of the Bangkok governor’s advisory team, on Saturday firmly denied any involvement in the alleged buying of positions.

However, he said he did not intend to respond because the allegations made by Mr Kris did not specifically mention him.

“The truth is the truth and the public should make its own judgement,” he said.

Mr Torsak said his legal team is considering whether legal action would be taken and noted that the election campaign should be conducted in a constructive manner.

Mr Chadchart said he offered words of support throughout the controversy to Mr Torsak and that they would keep moving forward together.