The House committee will summon Digital Economy and Society (DES) Minister Chaichanok Chidchob and relevant agencies on Thursday over allegations of a 40-million-baht bribery offer tied to online criminal activity.
Siam Hathasongkroh, chairman of the House Committee on Communications, Telecommunications, and Digital Economy and Society, and a Pheu Thai MP for Nong Bua Lam Phu, said on Tuesday that Thursday’s committee meeting will focus on the alleged bribery attempt that Mr Chaichanok revealed during the government’s policy statement a week ago.
At that time, Mr Chaichanok claimed someone had approached him through an MP to pay 40 million baht per month to overlook crackdowns on call centre scams, online fraud, and illegal gambling websites.
Mr Siam said the case must not be swept aside. “The minister is obliged to pursue legal action against those involved,” he said.
He added that the committee is increasingly concerned about the resurgence of cybercrime, noting that scam-related losses have exceeded 90 million baht per day — equivalent to at least one billion baht a month.
Without clear policies from the new administration, he warned, the damage to Thailand’s economy could deepen.
Mr Siam said the committee would also question the ministry about its cybercrime suppression strategy, noting that the previous administration under Paetongtarn Shinawatra treated the issue as a national priority, successfully preventing tens of billions of baht in public losses each year.
“If this government lacks genuine intent to address the problem, cybercriminal groups will return and harm the Thai economy again,” he warned.
Meanwhile, Phattarapong Supakson, known as “Lawyer Aun Buri Ram”, submitted a petition to the DES Ministry’s permanent secretary urging faster progress in the internal inquiry.