MaAnn along with three other officials stand accused by the NACC of providing illegal and forged documents for the construction of the New Nordic Phuket Water World project in Bang Tao.
The NACC in its announcement said that New Nordic Development Co Ltd had been spared of any criminal charges as the NACC had not found any evidence of criminal activity by the company, but an order haa been issued for all structures built on the site to be demolished, reported Isra News.
The announcement by the NACC was made yesterday (Sept 6), with the agency pointing out that MaAnn and three other officials ‒ Kreethayut Phiboon, Rongrit Chaihanam and Atthawit Kumchaphon ‒ had failed to take any action to remove buildings for the condo project in Soi Cherng Talay 14, which were built without permission.
The NACC reported that their investigation had discovered that on May 3, 2017, Banguna Gardens Co Ltd submitted an application for permission to construct steel buildings for the main condo project and a small structure to serve as a temporary office.
A permit for the temporary office was approved and issued three days later, on May 16, 2017, but MaAnn, Kreethayut and Rongrit later jointly forged documents by “by editing and adding additional text from the original” permit for the temporary office so that the permit now allowed the construction of the main buildings, the report said.
MaAnn Samran had committed criminal offences under the Criminal Code, specifically Section 157, Section 161, Section 264, Section 265 and Section 266 (1) and Section 123/1 of the Organic Act on Counter Corruption BE 2542 (1999), the NACC noted.
There were also grounds for charges under Section 172 of the Prevention and Suppression of Corruption Act and under Section 92 of the amended version of the Tambon Council and Tambon Administrative Organisation Act 1994, the NACC explained.
Kreethayut and Rongrit also stand accused of criminal offences under the same sections of the Criminal Code and the Organic Act on Prevention and Suppression of Corruption as well as the Prevention and Suppression of Corruption Act, the NACC added.
Atthawit stood accused of all the same criminal activities listed above, as well as breach of Section 86 of the Criminal Code.
The NACC dismissed the allegations against Bunsai Somsak, Siriporn Panan, Banguna Gardens Co Ltd, Namfon Wongsuwan and Woraphong Kwanseng and cleared them of any wrongdoing.
Building permit 037/2017 had been revoked as an illegal document, said the report.
Cherng Talay OrBorTor officials were now instructed to take corrective action. An order to demolish the buildings and structures constructed using the now revoked permit has been issued, the NACC confirmed.
The corruption findings by the NACC did not elaborate whether the investigation was related to the New Nordic development in Phetchaburi, which is under investigation by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) for swindling foreigners to invest in the B3.4 billion ‘Phetchaburi Park Project’. (See reports here, here and here.)
The ‘New Nordic Phuket Water World Hotel and Resort’ was promoted as only 150 metres from Bang Tao Beach.
The project, located 23 rai, was to feature five seven-storey buildings housing 605 units, priced from just over B3 million for a 24-square-metre unit to over B13.7mn for an 86sqm penthouse condo.
The project was also to include a bar, 2,500sqm swimming pool, playgrounds, a minimart and retail shops.
Many of the units were promoted as to provide guaranteed returns for the first five years.
Meanwhile, investors in the Phuket project are scrambling to find ways of recovering their money, with the most common solution presented being to file a formal complaint with the DSI.