Rolls-Royce bribery case: Thanong found not guilty
Chucking Out those Bribery Charges
Well, well, well, things just got a little shaky for former Thai finance minister Thanong Bidaya and his old pal, Kaweepan Ruengpaka, a former vice-president for finance at Thai Airways, as they've been in the limelight for allegedly dirty dealings with engine-making titan Rolls-Royce. But guess what? The Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases has given them a big ol' heave-ho, admitting that the evidence didn't quite cut it.
The whole shebang revolves around accusations that the duo was busy greasing palms to snag Rolls-Royce engines for Thai Airways' Boeing 777s and Airbus A340s somewhere in the 1990s to mid-2000s. You know, your run-of-the-mill bribery and corruption shenanigans. The evidence against them, though, was initially obtained from Rolls-Royce's own confession to paying out gobs of cash to Thai officials and intermediaries. In fact, they fingered approximately 254 million baht, in case you were wondering.
Not gonna lie, it all started during Thailand's military regime under Gen. Suchinda Krapayoon and continued all the way up until post-coup Times. But fast-forward to 2025, and the Central Criminal Court for Corruption declared a Not Guilty verdict for our two buddies. Their argument? The prosecution couldn't convincingly link the duo to the bribes that Rolls-Royce had admitted to.
To put it all in perspective, let's break it down:
- Bribery Involvement: Yep, the court heard that they facilitated Rolls-Royce's payments via intermediaries, but their involvement hasn't been firmly established.
- Procuring Favors: It's been alleged that they handpicked Rolls-Royce engines for Thai Airways, bypassing competitive procurement processes, but the court wasn't entirely convinced.
- Abusing Authority: Claims that they influenced fleet decisions to favor Rolls-Royce were considered, but the court didn't find solid evidence of misconduct.
So, there you have it! An eight-year investigation that has finally come to a close, leaving our two protagonists off the hook. Now, don't get me wrong—it's no walk in the park to nail down evidence for cross-border corruption cases. But this certainly sheds some light on the difficulties involved. And just like that, the cat people might want to think twice before making deals with Rolls-Royce again!
- Despite the initial evidence against Thanong Bidaya and Kaweepan Ruengpaka, related to bribery charges involving Rolls-Royce, the Central Criminal Court for Corruption found insufficient evidence to convincingly link them to the payments.
- In the Chucking Out those Bribery Charges case, the court did not find firm evidence of the defendants procuring Rolls-Royce engines for Thai Airways through manipulation of competitive procurement processes.
- Despite allegations to the contrary, the court did not find substantial evidence to support claims that Thanong Bidaya and Kaweepan Ruengpaka abused their authority by influencing fleet decisions to favor Rolls-Royce in the engine-making titan's deals with Thai Airways.
