Santika Fire - Building Licence Forged

Justice Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga on Tuesday called on Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra to discuss his ministry's discovery of a scam involving the forgery of engineers' and architects' signatures on applications for construction licences filed at district offices in Bangkok, including the licence for Santika pub construction.

Justice Ministry investigators in charge of the Santika case, have  found signatures of an architect and a construction-supervising engineer of the pub construction had been forged.

Tharit Pengdit, the secretary-general of the Commission for the Prevention and Suppression of Corruption in the State Sector, said the justice minister has asked Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to check on the BMA officials working on the construction licences issuance as well as those involved in the process of allowing Santika pub to operate.

The New Year fire at the pub which killed 66 revellers and injured hundreds others has brought to light various scandals including possible malfeasance of some City Hall officials.

Mr Tharit said Santika pub had been in operation for five years, but BMA officials still failed to inspect the pub's building usage.

According to Mr Tharit, the parties whose signatures were forged on the Santika's construction licences include engineer Wanrapee Wutthimananon and architect Sampao Jantharamekha.

Their forged signatures were also found on the construction licence applications for 33 other buildings in Bangkok's Bang Khen district. Both of them has lodged complaints with police at Thong Lo and Bang Khen police stations.

Mrs Wanrapee said she assumed her signature was forged from an application for a licence for construction supervision she has filed at Bang Khen district office earlier. She said some officials at the district might have copied her documents and later forged her signature.

At the Thong Lo police station where Mrs Wanrapee lodged her complaint, Pol Lt Col Chanin Wachirapraneekool said the whole file of documents related to Santika pub operation licence, including the pub's blueprint, has disappeared from Wattana district office.

Source - The Bangkok Post