The Department of Special Investigation is probing shareholdings by suspected Thai nominees in China Railway No.10 Engineering Co (CREC), which was building the collapsed State Audit Office.
The CREC is also the contractor in many other building projects for the Thai government.
The DSI had enough evidence to suspect the use of nominees at the company, which by law should be at least 51% owned by Thais, Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong said on Wednesday.
The DSI would also look into whether construction materials used by the company complied with industrial standards and the quality of its work, he said.
The investigation would be expanded to other government building projects taken up by the Chinese company, and its Chinese engineers, the minister said.
CREC reportedly is also a member of other consortiums that contracted for many building projects in the government sector from 2019 to 2022.
The projects are:
- The new State Audit Office, costing 2.14 billion baht, which collapsed in Bangkok last Friday.
- The new passenger terminal at Narathiwat airport, cost 639 million baht.
- A housing project for 354 units in Phuket, cost 343 million baht.
- A new school building at Wat Amarintararam, cost 160 million baht, in Bangkok.
- A warehouse at Chakri Naruebodindra Medical Institute, cost 146 million baht, in Bangkok.
- A dormitory at Phuket Rajabhat University in Phuket, cost 132 million baht.
- A provincial government complex in Phrae, cost 540 million baht
- Boxing camp for the Sports Authority of Thailand in Bangkok, cost 608 million baht.
- Residences for judicial officials of the Court of Appeal Region 9 in Songkhla, cost 386 million baht.
- Civil and criminal courts in Min Buri district of Bangkok, cost 782 million baht.
- A customer service centre for the Phuket electricity authority, cost 210 million baht.
- A command building at the Naval Ordnance Department in Bangkok, cost 179 million baht.
- A building for the Office of National Water Resources, cost 716 million baht.
- A Provincial Electricity Authority academy, cost 606 million baht
- A new outpatient building at Songkhla Hospital, cost 426 million baht.
On Wednesday immigration police searched a house in Din Daeng district, Bangkok, they believed was used by the China Railway No.10 Engineering Co. They found two Chinese nationals and eight Thais and a Toyota vehicle registered to the company. It was sparsely furnished.
The ITD-CREC consortium which was building the State Audit Office declared on Wednesday that its construction materials did meet all standards, were thoroughly checked and were certified by a material acceptance committee before being transported to the construction site.
Procurement and building met requirements in the terms of reference for the project, relevant laws and engineering standards, the consortium statement said.
The Office of the Judiciary said on Wednesday that the two building projects and their construction for Court of Appeal Region 9 and the civil and criminal courts of Min Buri district met relevant standards.
Immigration police arrive to search a house in Din Daeng district, Bangkok, on Wednesday. It was believed to be used by the Chinese contractor of the collapsed State Audit Office building. (Police photo)
Inside the searched house (police photo)
