DSI investigating two lawyers linked to Klongchan, temple
THE DEPARTMENT of Special Investigation (DSI) is gathering evidence against two lawyers, both with ties to high-profile suspects accused of financial crimes, over alleged money laundering.
One of the lawyers, Thawatkit Thananantrakool, worked for Supachai Srisupa-aksorn, the former chief of the Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative (KCUC), who is now serving a jail term for embezzling KCUC funds.
The other lawyer, Sampan Sermcheep, worked for Dhammakaya Temple’s abbot Phra Dhammachayo. The controversial monk is now facing an arrest warrant for allegedly accepting ill-gotten gains and money laundering in connection with the KCUC scandal.
“We are looking for more document evidence,” DSI deputy chief Pol Lt-Colonel Somboon Sarasit said yesterday. “We will conclude our investigation report by next month.”
His team searched Sampan’s office, the home office of Thawatkit and another location yesterday.
The DSI has now banned transactions concerning land worth more than Bt300 million belonging to a company run by Thawatkit.
Thawatkit said Supachai hired him to resolve an issue with the KCUC in 2012.
“He hired me to turn his assets into cash so that he would be able to return Bt320 million to the KCUC. But I can’t do that now because the DSI has frozen the land plots,” Thawatkit said.
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