The discovery of civil service exam fraud is expected to cost 5,925 local government employees their jobs this month, Deputy Interior Minister Worasit Liangprasit said on Monday.

Mr Worasit said committees investigating the exams and the management of local administrative officials will meet on Wednesday and Thursday. He said local administrators would act quickly to remove exam cheaters from their positions.

He described the rigging as Thailand's largest corruption case, saying about 10,000 people were involved in the operation, which was uncovered in June.

At the centre of the probe is the recruitment examination for the Department of Local Administration in 2025. The department had commissioned Srinakharinwirot University to administer the exam.

More than 400,000 candidates competed for 6,669 vacancies. Investigators believe a network may have collected over 4 billion baht from applicants seeking guaranteed appointments.

Speaking on the case on Monday, Pol Lt Gen Nathasak Chaowanasai, commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), said police had filed charges against 13 suspects, five of whom have already acknowledged the allegations. A senior official from Srinakharinwirote University was among them.

Eight other suspects have postponed reporting to authorities, including Teeruth Supawiboonpol, former director-general of the Department of Local Administration. The CIB chief said he expected them to meet police by early next week.