Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered the Royal Thai Police to take action against two senior officers involved in a promotion scandal.
Speaking yesterday at Government House, Gen Prayut said he had directed the Royal Thai Police to step up its efforts to look into the case.
"We are civil servants. We are not supposed to tell lies. This is nonsense," Gen Prayut said angrily.
He was citing the case of a senior police officer who is accused of promising to help his colleague get a promotion. But when the officer was questioned, he denied the allegation.
Pol Maj Gen Charoen Srisaluk, commander of the 2nd Metropolitan Police Division, who oversees Bang Sue station, said yesterday the probe into bribery and fraud involving two senior police attached to Bang Rak and Nimit Mai stations was making progress.
He was speaking yesterday as he inspected Bang Sue station to follow up on the investigation.
On July 5, Pol Capt Chanchai Yensuk, 39, lodged a complaint with Bang Sue police against Pol Capt Chanintuch Ratchinotrai, 38, who accused him of making false claims about his ability to get him promoted and deceiving him out of a large sum of money.
Pol Capt Chanintuch, an inspector in charge of crime suppression at Bang Rak station, allegedly asked Pol Capt Chanchai, a traffic deputy inspector at Nimit Mai station, to pay him 700,000 baht to buy some "souvenirs" for a high-ranking police officer who could help him become an inspector.
An investigator who interviewed Pol Capt Chanchai said Pol Capt Chanchai told him he met Pol Capt Chanintuch at a petrol station on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road and handed over 700,000 baht in cash to him in the hope of getting the promotion.
Pol Capt Chanintuch admitted lying to Pol Capt Chanchai about being able to get him promoted, police said.
He denied knowing any high-ranking police officer who could help Pol Cap Chanchai receive a promotion.
Pol Capt Chanintuch said he intended to spend the money he received from Pol Capt Chanchai on himself, police said.
When he learnt that Pol Capt Chanchai had filed a complaint with Bang Sue police against him, he decided to return the money Pol Capt Chanchai.
Pol Maj Gen Charoen urged others who might have been deceived by Pol Capt Chanintuch to lodge complaints and provide information to police.
Investigators have reported the incident to the two police officers' supervisors for their acknowledgement, he added.
However, no police top brass have been implicated in the investigation, Pol Maj Gen Charoen said.