Two weeks after an earthquake in Myanmar sent shockwaves through Bangkok, an executive from the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) has broken his silence and explained just how much the office knows about the contractor of its 2.1-billion-baht building that collapsed into rubble.
Answer: Not much.
On Thursday, deputy auditor-general Sutthipong Boonnithi admitted to a special Lower House committee that the OAG does not, in fact, know that much about China Railway No.10 Engineering Group -- part of the joint venture with Italian-Thai Development Plc that won the concession to construct the office building.
The construction firm, which operates under state-owned China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC), has won around 20 state projects, including those to build railways and airport projects.
Since the collapse, the firm has been probed by the Department of Special Investigation for using Thai nationals as proxies to do business.
Auditors also appear to be relatively clueless about how the building design meets safety standards. An initial probe by the government this week suggests the design might not be up to standard, with a more in-depth investigation called for.
The OAG is also clueless about the criminal record of Xin Ke Yuan Steel, one of the steel suppliers for the construction. One of its factories was ordered to close at the end of last year for breaking the law.
Initial tests by the Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI) last week found the steel from this supplier was subpar, saying this was one of the reasons why the building collapsed.
Such answers are not what taxpayers expect from state auditors, who are tasked with checking for corruption in state procurement projects.
So what does the OAG actually know about this company and case?
Mr Sutthipong said all of the procurement processes related to this project are transparent because the Comptroller General's Department approved them.
The State Audit Office's deputy-auditor seemed to make it clear that the OAG will now build a new office.
"This time, it will be a low-rise and will be built elsewhere," he said.
After all, almost 4,000 staff need a more spacious place in which to work, he said, adding the office also needs the proper decor and environment in which to receive dignitaries.
After the quake, leaked documents about the furniture to be installed in the collapsed State Audit Office (SAO) building went viral, sparking concerns about lavish spending. The document shows the office has dedicated a vast budget for lavish decorations.
To begin with, two carpets for the auditor-general's room cost 110,000 baht each. A sofa imported from Italy in the main reception room cost 157,000 baht. And made-in-Italy chairs in the reception room cost 95,000 baht apiece.
Apart from all the luxury, all of the offices on the top executive floor were furnished with toilets and a shower room, with each shower set costing 11,214 baht.
The government must find out how each supplier was selected and whether all items were reasonably priced. Our ombudsmen and auditors must be inspected, too.
State auditors bear the task of taking care of taxpayers' money.
They must face heavy scrutiny and suffer severe penalties if they let corruption go unchecked.
