Can of worms opens at SAO

The quake that brought down a building being constructed for the State Audit Office (SAO) late last month has opened a can of worms for an agency that preaches austerity.

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According to press reports since the quake, this waste of life of expensive furniture that was claimed to have been in the collapsed building was exposed by the STRONG Anti-Corruption Thailand Facebook page, causing a stir.

The cost of furniture and fittings, including 28 meeting chairs at 97,500 baht apiece, seemed unusually expensive. These chairs were made from beech wood and upholstered in Italian leather. A set of leather-upholstered sofas priced at 157,000 baht was also lambasted for being overly luxurious. The agency also ordered 98 sanitary fittings for 50 toilets and 98 soap dispensers priced at 1,668 baht each, and other bathroom accessories amounting to millions of baht.