They are pressing a commissioner accused of accepting a bribe consisting of gold bars worth more than B15 million to demonstrate accountability by resigning voluntarily, reports the Bangkok Post.
The commissioner, who has not been named, was looking into allegations of misconduct against former deputy police chief Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn when the latter allegedly offered the bribe, police have said.
Frequent petitioner Ruangkrai Leekitwattana has also submitted a petition calling on the NACC to investigate the official.
In the statement issued yesterday (Jan 13), the NACC officials stressed that their appeal was not a legal determination of guilt, but rather an expression of the highest ethical expectations placed upon individuals who have previously served as judges. That call, they said, has been ignored.
The officials said that they operate within the constraints of the civil service system and under the authority of the NACC board, which holds extensive powers over appointments, transfers, disciplinary action and career advancement.
The board also has the authority to appoint external individuals as subcommittee members who can influence the direction of investigations and prosecutions, with direct consequences for operations at every level.
“The silence that has followed should not be interpreted as consent,” the statement said. “Rather, it is the result of systemic constraints that the public ought to understand as they truly are.”
The NACC officials called on judges, the judiciary, legal professional bodies, legal and political science academics, professional councils and the media to exercise their respective roles in demanding ethical accountability in order to uphold the integrity of the justice system and the oversight of state power by the NACC.
They reaffirmed to the public that, despite operating under such constraints, they remain committed to honesty, integrity and the rule of law, and will continue to discharge their duties with dignity.