Adem Karadag, one of two foreigners arrested in connection with the August 17 attack, was detained at a flat in eastern Bangkok late last month.
Police say he was found in possession of bomb-making paraphernalia and dozens of fake Turkish passports.
Mr Karadagʼs role has not been explained by police, who say they now know more about how he came to be in Thailand.
“The first man [Mr Karadag] said he travelled through Vietnam to a neighbouring country where he then paid for transportation,” police chief Somyot Poompunmuang told reporters, without specifying which neighbouring country.
“At the Thai border he paid $600 [to cross into Thailand],” he added, without revealing the identity of the official who took the bribe.
Thailand is a notorious sanctuary for on-the-run foreigners and visa overstayers, with officials often willing to take a bribe to turn a blind eye to illegality.
In recent days, Gen Somyot, himself a former deputy commander with immigration police, has railed against the ease of buying off border officials.
“I cannot ignore this problem because I feel ashamed,” he told reporters yesterday (Sept 9) as he called on the junta to help him clamp down on corrupt border officials.
Although Gen Somyot did not confirm which country Mr Karadag entered from, it is likely to be Laos or Cambodia, both of which sit between Thailand and Vietnam.
Since the bombing, at least six police officers have been removed from their posts bordering Cambodia where Mr Mieraili was apprehended after they reportedly took bribes to let people pass.
Thai media reported today Gen Somyot Poompunmuang had reported to the prime minister the six common corrupt behaviours of immigration police.
A memorandum on “Report on behaviours of immigration policemen” dated Sept 9 was sent to the premier and Gen Prawit Wongsuwon, deputy prime minister for security.
The memo outlines six common corrupt behaviours of the immigration police:
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Extending stays unlawfully in exchange for money.
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Violating entry and exit protocols when agents are aware foreigners have no valid reasons for extending stay.
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Allowing or taking bribes for illegitimate entries by people with and without passports. For those with passports, information is not properly entered into the database. This facilitates human trafficking.
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Putting fake entry stamps to enable people to go to a third country. Some officials steal the stamp to verify entry of a person to create a source country that can be used to request permission to travel to a third country.
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Selling the TM 6 departure card, especially among workers in Thailand, found mostly in northeastern passes.
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Charging extra fees for visas on arrival, mainly at Suvanarbhumi and Don Mueang airports.
“Immigration is the first line of defence as it screens people entering and leaving the kingdom and plays a pivotal role in national security. To make the investigation as transparent and fair as possible, I would like to ask you to consider ordering agencies in charge of probing officials to take action in this case,” Gen Somyot wrote.
It was also reported Pol Gen Somyot had issued an urgent order for inspector general Pol Lt Gen Nares Nontachote to conduct a probe into immigration police and report the findings to him by Sept 23.
PM Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has special powers under the interim charter over other branches of government and can take any action without concern about legal consequences.