Chonnapat reports to DSI, says he can explain gambling website case

Chonnapat Naksua, the Klatham Party MP for Songkhla’s 4th constituency, arrived at the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) in Bangkok on Thursday (March 12) at 11am to meet investigators.

He was there to formally acknowledge charges of jointly organising gambling or arranging schemes, assisting in public announcements, advertising or directly or indirectly persuading others to take part in gambling in games not authorised by officials, as well as jointly committing money laundering.

The summons was issued for the first time after investigators found evidence allegedly linking him to a major online gambling network with more than 1 billion baht in circulation.

Chonnapat said the summons related to an old case dating back to 2019 and that he would provide information to DSI officers. As for the seizure of assets by AMLO, he said he was not overly concerned and would gradually clarify all the assets that had been confiscated.

The Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) reported on Wednesday (March 11) that, in the case involving a group of individuals accused of jointly organising online gambling through the website www.gimi88.com and related websites, involving Chonnapat and others, assets worth around 158 million baht had already been seized or frozen under orders of the Transaction Committee.

The matter is currently before the Civil Court. In this connection, the Transaction Committee has ordered the seizure and freezing of an additional 12 assets linked to the alleged offences, including shares in private limited companies and funds held in bank deposit accounts, with a combined value of around 12 million baht.