School directors jailed over bribes
published : 26 Apr 2024 at 08:45
writer: Gary Boyle
ORIGINAL SOURCE/WRITER: Chairith Yonpiam
The former director and deputy director of Samsenwittayalai School have each been sentenced to 20 years in prison for taking bribes from six parents in exchange for enrolling their children in 2017.
Viroj Samluan, the former director, and Phusit Prayoonanuthep, the former deputy, were found guilty of malfeasance and bribery, and ordered to pay 700,000 baht.
Viroj was found to have accepted 400,000 baht from a parent in exchange for their son’s enrolment. He was also found to have ties to other bribery cases worth up to 8 million baht, according to an earlier report.
Viroj and Phusit, along with a teacher named Prajern Chotphongsakul, were found to have received the bribes from January to June of 2017.
The charges against Mr Prajern were dropped due to lack of evidence.
The investigation showed that no receipts were issued for the supposed donations, and the money was kept in a safe in Phusit’s office instead of the school’s central safe.
Both men are being held at the Bangkok Remand Prison pending an appeal.
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Vocabulary
- appeal (noun): a request that a decision be changed - การอุทธรณ์
- bribe: money or a present given to someone so that they will help you doing something dishonest or illegal - สินบน
- bribery: the crime of giving money or presents to someone so that they will help you by doing something dishonest or illegal - การให้สินบน
- charge : an official statement accusing someone of committing a crime - ข้อกล่าวหา
- director (noun): the head of a school or organisation - ผู้อำนวยการ
- donation: money or goods that you give to an organisation, especially one that helps people - เงินหรือสิ่งของบริจาค
- drop charges: to decide that the accusations made against a person are not correct and should not be taken to court - ยกฟ้อง
- enrolment: the number of students at a school or university - การลงทะเบียน,การลงชื่อ,การสมัครเข้าเรียน
- evidence: facts statements or objects that help to prove whether or not someone has committed a crime - หลักฐาน
- guilty: having been decided by a court of law that you committed the crime your were accused of - มีความผิด
- malfeasance: illegal actions, especially by a person in authority - การใช้อำนาจไปในทางที่ผิด
- receipt: a piece of paper which proves that money, goods or information have been received - ใบเสร็จ, ใบรับ
