Suspect list grows as SAO building probe widens

Deputy police commissioner says executives, engineers, designers and supervisors of ill-fated project under microscope, writes Wassayos Ngamkham

- Wassayos Ngamkham

As investigations into the deadly collapse of the State Audit Office (SAO) building continue, the Metropolitan Police have signalled that more senior figures, including former and current top executives, may face criminal charges.

In an exclusive interview with the Bangkok Post, Pol Maj Gen Noppasin Poonsawat, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau and head of the investigation, details how far the chain of responsibility stretches in what he describes as a complex, high-stakes case.

WHAT’S THE STATUS OF THE INVESTIGATION?

We've already pressed charges against the first group of 17 individuals under the Criminal Code, particularly Sections 227 and 238. (Section 227 covers professional negligence in construction that endangers others, while Section 238 covers penalties for certain public danger offences if they result in death or serious injury). These individuals include engineers, designers and construction supervisors.

The charges are serious — professional misconduct resulting in death. We have evidence of forged engineering signatures, substandard materials and violations of basic safety standards.

The cement and steel used, to give one example, didn’t meet the specifications outlined in the contract's terms of reference.

IS IT JUST NEGLIGENCE, OR IS THERE CORRUPTION INVOLVED?