Investigators defend involvement in investigation of alleged Chula exam paper leak scandal
In the whirlwind of Thailand's ongoing investigation, the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) has stood firm on their impartial stance in the 2023 exam paper leak scandal at prestigious Chulalongkorn University. This scandal involves a shadowy figure, a former senior police officer, who happened to be enrolled in a special undergraduate law program at the university.
Amidst the turmoil, Pol Maj Gen Siriwat Dipho, the TCSD commissioner, has made it clear that the exploration is devoid of any ulterior motives against the unnamed ex-police general. The exploration was triggered after investigators discerned potential links to the exam leak from a phone seized during a broader investigation into an extensive online gambling ring.
Pol Maj Gen Siriwat asserted that justice must prevail, and the investigation, regardless of who is implicated, must lead to punishment without exception.
Delving deeper, the phone in question contained pivotal evidence related to the exam leak, such as a photo of the primary suspect, 53-year-old Kanittha Lertbanjerdwong, who was taken into custody last Wednesday. The investigators also stumbled upon chat logs that apparently chronicled the stealing of the exam paper, its delivery to another person for completion on behalf of the ex-police general, and its return for him to copy.
While Ms Kanittha wasn't an employee at the school, she reportedly enjoyed intimate connections with an exam invigilator, who presumably aided her in gaining access to the exam paper and pilfering it while the invigilator was preoccupied.
Ms Kanittha now faces charges under Section 188 of the Criminal Code, facing up to five years in prison and/or a fine of up to 100,000 baht for unlawfully removing, damaging, or concealing a vital document.
Further evidence was discovered on computers seized in 2023 from a property tied to the online gambling network. However, Pol Maj Gen Siriwat refrained from revealing the former police general's identity.
The investigation disclosed that Ms Kanittha allegedly received over 900,000 baht for her role in the exam leak, with over 400,000 baht funneled through mule accounts across five transactions, and another 500,000 baht from accounts connected to illicit online gambling operations.
Following her arrest, two men—Khrit Pariyaket and Chanon Aum-thon, assistants to the former police general and owners of the seized computers—confessed and presented themselves to the authorities.
- The TCSD's investigation into the 2023 Chulalongkorn University exam paper leak has uncovered evidence on confiscated computers linked to an extensive online gambling network, hinting at potential complicities.
- In the midst of the investigation, a former senior police officer, enrolled at Chulalongkorn University, has been implicated in the scandal, but the TCSD commissioner, Pol Maj Gen Siriwat Dipho, has maintained an impartial stance towards him.
- With the ongoing exploration into the exam leak, Ms Kanittha Lertbanjerdwong, a non-employee at the school, was taken into custody last Wednesday for her role in the incident. She now faces charges under Section 188 of the Criminal Code.
- In the general-news and crime-and-justice sectors, the TCSD's investigation into the 2023 Chulalongkorn University exam paper leak continues, with the disclosed evidence pointing towards corruption and illicit financial transactions worth over 900,000 baht.
