U.S. to Provide Information to Thailand in InVision Bribery Scandal
The fallout over the InVision airport bribery scandal continues in Thailand. The Bangkok Post reports today that Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick, who is visiting Bangkok, has indicated that the U.S. government has pledge "to share facts about the procurement of airport baggage scanners to get to the bottom of the scandal." The article quotes Mr. Zoellick as saying both countries wanted clean government systems and Washington wished to have U.S. businesses operate in a fair and transparent manner.
The article reports that the scandal has threatened to push back the deadline of the new airport's expected opening next year. Thailand's Prime Minister has indicated that the delay and finding a new supplier to replace GE InVision [the company's current name] were a small price to pay for repairing the country's reputation tainted by the allegation. The article also contains details about a potential legal battle between the Government of Thailand, GE InVision and the ITO Joint Venture, commissioned to buy and install the scanners.