Former Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt is facing a complaint filed with the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) over the allegedly unlawful appointment of 17 senior Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) officials after a review panel ruled the appointments invalid.
The complaint was lodged on Thursday by former Pheu Thai MP Jirayu Houngsub and Chris Potranandana, party-list MP and leader of the Economic Party. They are seeking an investigation and legal action against Mr Chadchart, his deputies, the selection committee and related officials.
The petition alleges repeated violations of Section 157 of the Criminal Code, accusing state officials of abusing their authority and acting dishonestly. Mr Jirayu said he believed the appointments were intended to position loyal personnel ahead of the next Bangkok gubernatorial election.
According to the complaint, Mr Chadchart signed an order on Sept 29, 2025, effective Oct 1, appointing and transferring 17 officials and two inspectors.
The Bangkok Civil Service Merit Protection Commission (KPKC) ruled on March 23, 2026, that the order was unlawful and revoked it.
The complaint further alleges attempts to keep the same officials in place through temporary assignments at the BMA Permanent Secretary's Office and to approve retroactive budget disbursements from Oct 1, 2025, without legal basis, which Mr Jirayu said caused damage to the state.
The complainants said a new selection committee was convened on April 17 and completed its work within a matter of days before Mr Chadchart signed another order on April 30 reappointing all 17 officials to the same posts.
Mr Jirayu said another complaint had since been lodged with the KPKC by some BMA officials who argued that the second selection process also failed to comply with the panel's ruling.
Mr Jirayu added that he had submitted evidence alleging sexual harassment by one of the district directors among the 17 officials. He said further complaints involving alleged bribery in municipal enforcement, public works and procurement would be submitted to the NACC and the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission.
Mr Chadchart denied wrongdoing, saying he welcomed scrutiny and would cooperate with any investigation. He rejected allegations of a patronage system or buying and selling of positions, describing the accusations as part of a political game ahead of the election, and said he had no plans to sue his critics, arguing that public figures should be prepared to answer questions from the public and oversight bodies.
