A state official in Kamphaeng Phet stands accused of stealing 12-million-baht worth of hazard pay from frontline workers who risked their lives to contain the spread of Covid-19.
Dr Parinya Nakpunbut, chief of Kamphaeng Phet public health office, confirmed yesterday that a fraud charge will be pursued against the state official over the missing 12-million-baht worth of relief pay for frontline people, after details of the allegations had circulated on social media.
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He said the public health office had detected suspicious financial documents regarding the dispersal of the money and after investigating further found that 12,738,415.53 baht had been transferred into three accounts belonging to the suspect since January.
The sums mostly consisted of COVID-19 hazard pay for people across the province. The suspect has been suspended and the governor has given the go-ahead for a police investigation.
The alleged fraud has been reported to Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and a request for additional funds for the frontline workers to make up for the missing money is being considered. The province still has enough to cover payments for the workers spanning the April-June period.
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