The husband of an NACC employee claims he threw away 12 million baht due to flooding; an anti-corruption investigation has been launched.

Mysterious find in Nonthaburi: 12 million baht in a rubbish bin caused a political stir

An incident occurred in Nonthaburi Province (Thailand) that attracted the attention of the public and law enforcement agencies. On 6 June 2025, a large sum of money — 12 million Thai baht, equivalent to approximately 366,000 US dollars — was found in a rubbish bin near one of the condominiums.

The chance discovery, made by a local resident named Usa, quickly turned into a high-profile investigation when it was revealed that the owner of the money was Thavivat Sengkaew, the husband of an employee of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC). Usa found the container in which the money was hidden near the rubbish bins on the fourth floor of the Muang Thong Thani condominium.

Thinking that the container might be useful for household purposes, she opened it and found old clothes, under which were bundles of cash. Concerned that the money might be linked to criminal activity, Usa called on a scrap metal collector she knew named Bua for help. Bua, who later became a witness in the case, recorded the discovery of the money on video and reported it to the police.

Thavivat Sengkaew, who lives in the same condominium one floor above, told the Pak Kret police station that the money belonged to him. He explained that his apartment had been flooded and, while throwing away damaged items, he had mistakenly thrown away the container with the money, mistaking its contents for unwanted clothing. According to Thavivat, the money was withdrawn from the account in 2020 to finance his political ambitions, but he kept it at home for fear of theft.

However, this version was met with skepticism by investigators, given that Thavivat is an advisor to the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) and the husband of a high-ranking NACC official. In this regard, the NACC initiated an investigation into Thavivat’s spouse to verify whether the family’s assets had been properly declared. Police Colonel Kittithanet Tanantvesin, chief of the Nonthaburi Provincial Police, personally questioned Thavivat.

The police seized the money to investigate its source. A request was sent to the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) to determine the legality of the funds and their owner. In addition, the police requested CCTV footage, but it turned out that the cameras on the fifth floor, where Thavivat’s apartment is located, had not been working since April, and there are no cameras on the fourth floor, where the discovery was made.

Despite confirmation that Thavivat’s apartment had been flooded, the police plan to conduct an additional examination of the banknotes to identify fingerprints and DNA. This unusual case caused a public outcry in Thailand and highlighted the importance of transparency and accountability among government officials.

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