Thai PBS has insisted that the State Audit Office (SAO) did not give the public service broadcaster a chance to defend itself against allegations of fund misuse before concluding its investigation.
It has also accused the SAO of failing to keep the findings confidential until Thai PBS was officially notified.
Thai PBS Deputy Director Piset Chiyasak said yesterday that the SAO should act professionally in carrying out its duties to inspect and audit state agencies’ spending.
He added that Thai PBS had been subject to regular SAO audits in the past, with no problems reported.
According to reports circulating on social media, the SAO found a Thai PBS director and 10 staff members at fault for misusing funds and ordered them to return about 85 million baht to the state.
Thai PBS has petitioned the chairman of the National Audit Committee, questioning how and why the investigation findings were leaked and claiming that the disclosure had damaged the organisation.
The SAO’s investigation concerns allegations that some executives used Thai PBS vehicles despite being entitled to official vehicles or travel expenses.
Another allegation concerns the hiring of guest presenters to moderate programmes at high fees.
Piset explained that Thai PBS sometimes hires prominent personalities to host programmes because they can attract larger audiences, while the broadcaster’s own staff may not be sufficiently well known or have the same audience-drawing power.
He said some guest presenters and speakers occasionally worked without payment, adding that the fees alone should not be used to determine whether the amounts were excessive or reasonable.
Piset also said Thai PBS’s operations were no longer limited to broadcasting but had expanded to include online platforms and citizen journalism aimed at social development.
Since its establishment, Thai PBS has received about 2 billion baht annually from earmarked sin taxes.
However, Piset said its responsibilities had expanded over the years, while the purchasing power of the same amount had declined.
In real terms, he suggested, the annual funding was now worth closer to 1.5 billion baht compared with its value several years ago.
Main photo: Thai PBS Deputy Directors Piset Chiyasak (L) and Adisak Limparungpatanakij (R)
