The Criminal Court has handed down a two-year prison sentence to former auditor-general Jaruvan Maintaka for misusing government funds to take officials to a religious ceremony instead of attending a workshop in 2003.
Khamphi Sonchai, director for personnel resources of the Office of the Auditor General (OAG), received the same sentence.
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) found she and other officials attended a royally sponsored thod krathin luang robe-giving ceremony at three temples in Nan rather than participating in a one-day workshop on Oct 31, 2003 at a hotel, for which the office had requested funding.
The public prosecutor filed a court case against the two executives on Sept 4, 2015.
The court said the OAG did not organise a seminar, which was the purpose of the 294,440 baht budget allocation. The fake seminar seemed aimed only at getting people to attend the religious ceremony, which was on the same date.
The two senior civil servants had misused the funds and committed an offence under the Crimes Act, sections 157 and 83. They were each therefore sentenced to two years in prison.
Both defendants were later released on bail of 200,000 baht each pending appeal.
Jaruvan said after the judgement she felt the case was brought against her because the OAG had investigated certain issues, but she would rather not to say a lot at this stage.
She said she had helped bring in more than 100 billion baht in government revenue, and asked why she would bother to cheat over a little more than 200,000 baht.
Jaruvan confirmed she would take the case to the Court of Appeal.