Police want 26 people to explain 'KMITL cash'

Police also seized two luxury cars from a house in Bangkok belonging to Thiti Woraphienkul, who was given the cars by suspect Pada Buakhao, so Thiti could help resell them.

Many of the 26 people summonsed by police received money – from Bt1 million to Bt10 million each – and were employees at seven companies and relatives of key suspect Kittisak Mattujad, who is on the run and believed to be abroad.

The 26 recipients of money were expected to testify and explain themselves from January 19-27, CSD deputy chief and investigation head Nos Sawetlek said.

Nos said Sukrit Khiewnanjai, manager of the Bt100 million “Street Pub” venue that belonged to Kittisak and operated since the middle of last year, testified to police that Kittisak wired money to him for the pub’s construction. Sukrit had admitted to forwarding money to other people for Kittisak but said he didn’t know what the money was for. Sukrit was also an employee of Mattujad Co, which provides car finance to people, so the company had tens of million of baht in circulation, Nos noted.

A KMITL lecturer who received money from another suspect, the former bank manager Songklod Sriprasong, told police that Bt5.5 million from Songklod was repayment for Bt5 million he had invested via the bank manager five years ago. The lecturer said he had asked for his money back because he had seen no profit, so Songklod wired him the Bt5.5 million, Nos said. Police are now waiting for documents to back the lecturer’s claim. If it could not be confirmed, police would seize it as stolen money.