(Bangkok, 8th) — The Office of the Attorney General of Thailand has filed criminal charges against companies and responsible persons involved in the collapse of the National Audit Office building in Bangkok. Among those charged are a local construction tycoon, as well as the joint developers Italian-Thai Development PLC and the Thai branch of Chinese state-owned China Railway No. 10 Bureau.
Spokesperson Chakasan from the Office of the Attorney General of Thailand stated in a press release that the lawsuit was formally submitted to the criminal court yesterday.
The president of Italian-Thai Development, Benchai, the Thai branch of China Railway No. 10 Bureau, and 21 other defendants are accused of professional negligence resulting in death. Among them, two defendants are Chinese citizens.
71-year-old Benchai, a construction tycoon in Thailand, and several persons involved surrendered themselves to the police in May. If found guilty, Benchai could face a maximum 10-year prison sentence and a fine of up to 200,000 baht (about 8,000 SGD).
The indictment lists 16 individuals and seven companies, with the names of the representatives of some defendant companies, including an architectural design company and a Chinese construction company.
The statement also said that some defendants face additional charges of document forgery and violations of the Building Control Act.
This 30-story audit office building, still under construction, collapsed during the Myanmar earthquake on March 28 this year, resulting in 89 deaths. It was the only high-rise in Thailand to collapse during this earthquake, sparking suspicion of construction fraud.
The Thai government ordered a thorough investigation. The results showed that the main causes of the collapse were design and construction flaws.