Supod Heist Involves Pay-off For Train Projects, Says Chalerm
 The sensational robbery of millions in cash at Supod Saplom's home was connected with Bangkok's elevated train projects, said Chalerm Yubamrung.
The deputy premier said at parliament on Thursday the money stolen by a dozen men from the residence of the Transport Ministry's undersecretary earlier this month was known as ''interest'' for a sum of loan money involving the Purple Route and Red Route train projects.
''Some people doublecrossed other people for that huge sum of money which was earlier meant as interest for the loan to finance the elevated train projects. The scam prompted the JICA which earlier offered an interest-free loan to cancel it,'' said Chalerm, referring to the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
He said one of the suspected thieves, who have remained at large, had fled into Laos with about 100 million baht in cash.
''An exact amount of the money meant to be a kickback in exchange for the train projects will be unveiled soon. The Metropolitan Police will find out shortly who had withdrawn the money from what bank and who was its recipient,'' said Chalerm.
Unidentified persons had offered some ''pay-off'' in return for the elevated train projects, the deputy premier said but did not elaborate.
He assured the police were investigating while the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the Anti-Money-Laundering Office were doing parallel probes into the sensational heist for which Supod was transferred to an inactive post at Government House.
About 16 million baht in cash owned by the undersecretary, alleged of becoming ''unusually rich'', was foreclosed by the anti-graft agency pending the probe into his wealths.
Puea Thai MP Prompong Nopparit charged a few well-known politicians were trying to hide away a huge sum of alleged bribe money involving the train projects. He did not name names or go into details but said authorities are yet to hold them as suspects in the corruption scam, too.
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