Popular TV show host Sorayuth Suthassanachinda is in hot water, as the National National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) recommended that he be charged with embezzlement by the Attorney General.
Sorayuth and another personnel of the state-run media agency MCOT Plc allegedly conspired to cover up earnings from TV advertisements amounting to TBH138 million more than seven years ago.
The news program host is also the managing director of Rai Som Co, the company that produces his shows at MCOT Plc and also handles advertising contracts for the programs. In 2005, Rai Som Co and MCOT Plc entered into an agreement that earnings beyond 5 minutes of commercial time will go to MCOT. Each minute of additional advertising air time costs TBH200,000.
However, Sorayuth was said to have bribed MCOT Plc employee Pichapa Iamsa-ard to hide the records of the extra commercials. Ms Pichapa received several cheque payments from Sorayuth amounting to TBH739, 770.50.
The state-managed network said Rai Som owes them TBH138.79 million. On Aug 31, 2006, the company initially paid them TBH103.95 million. Rai Som settled the remaining balance plus the 7.5 percent interest charged by MCOT in Oct 20, 2006.
In 2008, Rai Som filed a counter complaint with the Administrative Court. It demanded TBH253 million from MCOT as payment for advertising revenue sharing. Rai Som claimed that MCOT’s advertising time also exceeded five minutes and should therefore pay Sorayuth’s company its share of the earnings. To date, there has been no ruling on this petition.
As a government employee, Ms Pichapa will be slapped with civil and criminal cases for conspiring with Sorayuth, the Bangkok Post reported. The news show host, for his part, declined to give a comment.
