BANGKOK: Siriraj Hospital has decided to return a 3 million baht donation to prominent whistleblower Chuwit Kamolvisit after suspicions the money could have come from a questionable source.
Prof. Apichat Asavamongkolkul, Dean of Medical Faculty of Mahidol University at Siriraj Hospital, said at a press conference at the hospital on Friday (Mar. 24, 2023) that Chuwit presented him with a check for 3 million baht and the hospital a receipt issued that can be used for a tax deduction.
“I later learned that the money may have been linked to an illegal business. The medical faculty of Siriraj Hospital has not been idle in this matter. We will return the money to Chuwit as soon as possible,” the dean said.
Chuwit said Friday that Siriraj Hospital and Thammasat University had contacted him about returning the donations. “I will hand over the money to the police. Are you happier now?” he wrote in a Facebook post.
Chuwit reportedly donated 3 million baht to Thammasat University Hospital on February 15. On Valentine’s Day, he donated the same amount to Siriraj Hospital.
Earlier, Chuwit admitted he received 6 million baht from fugitive police Lt. Col. Wasawat Mukurasakul, also known as “Inspector Sua”, who is accused of being involved in a multi-billion dollar online gambling network.
Chuwit said a retired police officer gave him the money on the fugitive’s behalf in exchange for his silence on his revelations about police corruption and illegal gambling.
The whistleblower claimed he initially refused the money, but the retired official insisted, so he decided to take it and donate it to the two hospitals. However, prominent lawyer Sittra Biabungkerd, whose tip led to Chuwit’s admission earlier this week, claimed on Thursday (Mar. 23, 2023) that the whistleblower did in fact receive 50 million baht in digital currency from Inspector Sua.
At the press conference at Siriraj Hospital, Dr. Apichat asked if the hospital had any rules to prevent issuing donation receipts for illegal businesses. He replied that there were no rules on donations to the hospital.
“We depend on the goodwill of donors who want to help Siriraj Hospital, which is a national medical facility that treats patients from all parts of Thailand. The donations are intended to finance studies, research and the construction of buildings, in the spirit of the donors,” said Dr. apigate.
“We focus on donor intentions, not their backgrounds. We assume the money is theirs. But in Chuwit’s case, after learning that the money does not belong to him, we have to return it so that Chuwit can take further steps in accordance with the law,” he said.
