Thai official manages to get salary and bonuses for 10 years without working. Here's how

A government official in Thailand is facing the accusation of taking salary and bonuses for 10 years without working properly even for a day.

The case has once again raised concerns regarding public sector corruption in the country.

As per reports, the official held a position at the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department in Ang Thong province in central Thailand.

As per the report published in the newspaper The Thaiger, the official failed to give time to his government job for around 10 years because of his involvement in a singing gig at a nightclub.

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The official worked the entire night in the club because of which he used to get exhausted and skip office work during the day.

However, the man was never fired or penalised for his indiscipline and used to receive his salary and bonuses.

He was occasionally summoned to the office and sometimes reprimanded as well as was asked to sign documents at the request of the mayor to avoid scrutiny.

Will the Thai official receive punishment for his actions?

The misconduct of the Thai official was brought into the public eye by a Facebook page called Watchdog, which is a forum focused on exposing government wrongdoings and has 1.1 million followers.

No response has been given by the local government to the case and it is not clear how the official will be punished.

According to the country's law, the officials, who are part of the corruption, can face one to 10 years in prison as well as fines which range from 2,000 to 20,000 baht (US$60 to US$600).

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Meanwhile, social media users expressed their anger at the misconduct of the officials and the lack of accountability of the government.

The case has once again shifted the spotlight on the public sector corruption prevalent in Thailand.

In the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index, which has been published by Transparency International, Thailand scored 35 out of 100 and ranked 108th out of 180 countries.

(With inputs from agencies)