The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) plans to forward a second list of allegedly corrupt officials to the Centre for National Anti-Corruption (CNAC) after the Songkran holidays so it can consider disciplinary measures against them.
NACC secretary-general Sansern Poljeak confirmed the anti-graft body's plan to transfer records of more officials suspected of graft to the centre next week.
The lists are part of the government's campaign to rid the bureaucracy of corruption and stem from probes into the officials' conduct in office.
The CNAC, chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, has ordered a separate panel to screen the lists of officials suspected of engaging in graft before they are submitted to Gen Prayut.
The panel is headed by Justice Minister Gen Paiboon Koomchaya.
The lists are prepared by the NACC, the Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) and the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC). Each agency submits its list to the CNAC separately.
The agencies' first list filed with the CNAC contained 100 names.
It is unclear how many officials will be on the second list.
Mr Sansern said the second list supplied to the NACC will include several provincial governors and deputy governors, department directors-general, as well as permanent secretaries.
According to Mr Sansern, up to 10 local administration officials are also involved in corruption cases which the NACC has investigated.
Most of the officials were involved in fraudulent procurement deals, the NACC chief said.
"Anyone who has committed wrongdoing should know they are now in the hot seat,'' he said. The names of those on the first list have not been disclosed publicly.
After being handed the lists, the Paiboon panel will review the evidence against the officials, verify the facts in each case, remove any officials from the lists if evidence against them is deemed insufficient, and send the final lists to Gen Prayut, who will consider what action to take against those named.
Administrative or disciplinary action may be taken against them, in addition to the criminal procedures some of them face already.
The NACC is in the process of finalising the second list, Mr Sansern said.
He said the officials chosen by the NACC for both lists have been investigated by the commission which found grounds for corruption charges against them.
The NACC had recommended various agencies take disciplinary or criminal action against the officials, but the agencies in question failed to do so. Preparing the lists was the next step.
The selection process for the list is meticulous and fair, Mr Sansern insisted.
China has benefited greatly from a similar system of fighting corruption, he added.
NACC President Panthep Klanarongran said the government's anti-graft measures have helped stamp out corruption.
The CNAC, which was created by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), could proceed with tasks which the NACC does not have sufficient authority to undertake, he said.
These include stripping corrupt officials of their positions or transferring them.