DSI says warrant issued for Anant Asavabhokhin in laundering case
DSI says a court has issued an arrest warrant for property tycoon Anant Asavabhokhin in a money-laundering case linked to Dhammakaya
The Department of Special Investigation has reportedly obtained an arrest warrant for property tycoon Anant Asavabhokhin in a money-laundering case linked to Wat Phra Dhammakaya and the Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative embezzlement scandal.
DSI sources said the court approved the warrant on March 18, 2026, after investigators were unable to bring Anant before prosecutors for indictment as scheduled. Investigators now believe he may have left Thailand and are working to trace his whereabouts.
The case follows a decision by the attorney-general to indict Anant, a former senior executive and major figure in Thailand’s property development sector, on a charge of conspiracy by two or more people to commit money laundering, with alleged money laundering committed as a result of that conspiracy.
The charge was brought under Thailand’s Anti-Money Laundering Act and followed a dissenting opinion by the director-general of the Department of Special Investigation. The case concerns alleged money laundering through land transactions said to be linked to the Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative embezzlement case.
The latest development has renewed attention on one of Thailand’s long-running financial crime cases, which has also involved scrutiny of Wat Phra Dhammakaya, Phra Thep Yan Maha Muni, also known as Dhammajayo, and other individuals connected to special investigation case No 10/2017.
Kasemsak Kanpai, a lawyer representing victims in the money-laundering case, has also submitted a petition to the director-general of the Office of Special Litigation, asking prosecutors to speed up legal action against all parties allegedly involved in the case.
According to the case timeline, the Office of Special Litigation 4 first scheduled Anant to be brought before the court for indictment on April 2, 2024. He did not appear on that date. His lawyer instead sought a postponement, citing serious illness and submitting a medical certificate.
Prosecutors then allowed the appointment to be postponed to May 24, 2024, and later to June 24, 2024. However, Anant again failed to appear, with his side continuing to cite critical health problems. The failure to bring him before prosecutors eventually led investigators to seek an arrest warrant.
DSI investigators also examined the medical claims submitted in the case. A female doctor who had treated Anant was invited to provide a detailed statement to the money-laundering investigation team.
The doctor reportedly confirmed that Anant was suffering from serious chronic illness, including permanent end-stage kidney failure. He had previously undergone a kidney transplant in Australia, but the transplanted kidney was later severely damaged by a rejection condition, leaving it unable to function.
As a result, he was required to undergo haemodialysis once a week for life unless he could receive a second kidney transplant. The doctor also stated that another transplant could not yet be performed because of serious complications affecting major organs.
These complications reportedly included acute heart failure, bleeding in the brain and severe immune system impairment. The doctor described his condition as critical, with a high risk of death at any time.
The doctor also said Anant needed to remain under specialist medical supervision, with modern medical equipment in a strictly sterile setting. She warned that he should not be moved from a medical facility because of the risk of life-threatening infection.
Despite those medical claims, DSI investigators said they had been unable to secure his appearance for indictment and believed he was no longer staying in Thailand.
The case now turns on whether investigators can locate Anant and bring him into the judicial process, as victims’ representatives continue to press for action against all parties allegedly connected to the wider money-laundering case.
