Bangkok police chief: Salary from major alcohol producer
Top cop gets 600,000 baht a year from major alcohol producer. What advice or special services does company receive? Do lower ranking officials get payments also?
Top cop gets 600,000 baht a year from major alcohol producer. What advice or special services does company receive? Do lower ranking officials get payments also?
POLICE REFORM & CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Bangkok police gets salary from major alcohol producer
12/12/2016
Post Reporters
Bangkok city police chief Sanit Mahathavorn has publicly declared that he receives a monthly payment or salary of 50,000 baht from the major alcoholic beverage producer Thai Beverage.
This, of course, raises questions of who the police chief works for: 100% for the public? or also for the major alcohol producer?
Critics are demanding that the police chief resign from this side- job as adviser to the major corporation.
They claim these secret and only now disclosed payments represent a conflict of interest.
QUESTIONS RAISED BY THE CASE
The case also raises the question of why police at all levels are not routinely subject to asset declarations, part of international best practice in monitoring police conduct.
The question of whether police at all levels routinely receive such payments is also raised.
For example, a company paying the local police a monthly fee for better enforcement of the law which violates the fundamental idea of rule of law in which the law is applied equally to all (see here, here, here, here & here).
Pol Lt Gen Sanit Mahathavorn, one of the country's highest-profile law enforcement officers, has been caught accepting a payment of 50,000 baht every month from Thai Beverage Plc, although a main part of his job is to enforce the Alcohol Control Act. (Photo by Chanat Katanyu)
PAYMENTS ONLY SEEN BECAUSE POLICE CHIEF ALSO MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT
The public only learned that the police chief receives a monthly salary from a powerful corporation because he is now also happens to be a member of parliament.
As a member of parliament he is required to make asset declarations.
The payment is shown in Pol Lt Gen Sanit's list of assets and liabilities that he recently declared to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) as a member of the National legislative Assembly (NLA).
The record shows the police chief began receiving the monthly payment last year.
NEWS RELEASED WHEN NO ONE WAS PAYING ATTENTION
The news from the NACC was released in the middle of a long holiday weekend, when it is guaranteed to attract the least possible attention.
Somchai Armin, chairman of the Lawyers Association for Rights and Environment Protection, called on Pol Lt Gen Sanit to resign from the advisory role as it represents a conflict of interest.
ENFORCEMENT OF ALCOHOL CONTROL ACT SHOULD NOT BE COMPROMISED
Pol Lt Gen Sanit was not available for comment as of the press time Sunday and it is not clear what advice he has offered to the firm.
What the officer is doing conflicts with good governance and transparency practices, Mr Somchai said.
"This senior officer is serving as an adviser to ThaiBev when it is his duty to ensure enforcement of the Alcohol Control Act and other related laws," he said.
All alcoholic beverage companies must be reined in by the act, and the law will be harder to enforce if there is any interference or conflict of interest, Mr Somchai said.
HIGH-RANKING OFFICIALS SET EXAMPLE FOR WHOLE ORGANIZATION
If high-ranking officials are allowed to do this, those occupying lower ranks would follow suit, Mr. Somchai said.
He said he is sure other public officials also take up positions in private companies which have not yet been disclosed.
So the issue of whether public officials are serving the public or corporations that pay them extra is raised.
MAY BE EVIDENCE OF EXTENSIVE LINKS & INTERFERENCE IN LAW ENFORCEMENT
Alcohol Watch Network coordinator, Kamron Chudecha, took a similar stance, asking whether it was appropriate for Pol Lt Gen Sanit to take the payments.
He said Pol Lt Gen Sanit's arrangement with the firm may be evidence that alcohol businesses have extensive links to politicians and civil servants at all levels and they could interfere in the enforcement of the law.
SURPRISINGLY, PUBLIC OFFICIALS TAKING PAYMENTS FROM POWERFUL CORPORATIONS MAY NOT BE ILLEGAL
"Although this is not illegal, before taking up any position, officials must use their discretion to do the right thing and uphold ethics," Mr Somchai said.
Civil servants, particularly high-ranking executives, must set a good example so they are not a subject of criticism, he added.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/security/1157241/top-cop-faces-backlash-over-advisory-cash
http://www.oecd.org/corruption/anti-bribery/47489446.pdf
https://www.unodc.org/documents/justice-and-prison-reform/crimeprevention/PoliceAccountability_Oversight_and_Integrity_10-57991_Ebook.pdf
https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/209269.pdf
http://lawsoutheastasia.blogspot.com/2015/12/police-reform-in-thailand-asset.html
http://lawsoutheastasia.blogspot.com/2016/01/lifestyle-audits-casinos-drug-deals-at.html
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