Supachai to be detained pending DSI investigation

Supachai has maintained his innocence and said he would only testify in court. 

After DSI officials brought him to court for the detention order, his lawyer offered two land title deeds worth Bt1 million in total as surety for a failed bail attempt.

Despite facing lawsuits in relation to the alleged Bt12-billion Klongchan embezzlement, Supachai hadn’t been in detention previously.

A third lawsuit, which relates to the alleged embezzlement of the Bt27 million, stems from a complaint filed at the Lat Phrao Police Station by Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative representatives and taken up by the DSI last August. 

The group accused Supachai of withdrawing Bt27 million from a cooperative account without the board’s approval and against the cooperative’s regulations.

DSI Bureau of Special Crime 3 chief Pol Lt-Colonel Somboon Sarasit said investigators |would meet to discuss the case today.

He said the DSI’s Special Case Committee’s screening panel would meet later in the day to decide on whether to commence an money-laundering case against Supachai over him allegedly using embezzled money to buy eight land plots in Pathum Thani and selling them to Alisa Asavabhokhin, daughter of the Land and Houses chairman. 

They would also consider commencing a money-laundering investigation into Supachai over his transfer of assets to Sathaporn Wattanasirinukul, an executive of the SW Holding Group.

A DSI source said a team led by Pol Lt-Colonel Pakorn Sucheewakul had traced related money transactions and was gathering evidence after people alleged Supachai lured them into depositing money they earned from selling land with the cooperative. 

The team would probe Supachai to determine if he deposited money he earned from selling land.

Another informed source said the discussions between Klongchan executives and the Anti-Money Laundering Office about seized assets related to the case was postponed from today until next Friday.