A lawyer representing about 40 members of the Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative (KCUC) has submitted a letter to the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) asking that it speed up the investigation of additional witnesses in the money-laundering case against Phra Dhammajayo ordered by the Office of the Attorney-General.
The case involves Wat Phra Dhammakaya in Pathum Thani province, which received more than 800 cheques claimed to be donations by the then-chairman of the KCUC, Supachai Srisupa-aksorn.
Supachai faces several cases in connection with the multi-million-baht embezzlement at the KCUC and is already serving a long prison term.
In one of the cases, Supachai and Phra Dhammajayo, the abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya, are among five people charged with laundering money and receiving stolen property.
The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) on Nov 7 postponed the decision on an indictment in the case, saying it had not received a DSI report on the questioning of several additional witnesses. The decision was rescheduled for Nov 30.
Thammanoon Attachote, a representative of the damaged party, on Wednesday submitted a letter to the DSI, asking that it speed up the investigation and quickly bring Phra Dhammajayo into the judicial system.
Pol Lt Col Pakorn Sucheevakul, chief of the financial and banking case office, said the DSI had already complied with the OAG's orders to question additional witnesses about five times.
"Concerning a petition for justice filed by a Wat Phra Dhammakaya lawyer [on behalf of Phra Dhammajayo] with the OAG on Nov 14, I have reported to my superiors and called a meeting of investigators. We should now wait for the OAG the decide on the case on Nov 30," he said.
Pol Lt Gen Pakorn said the petition was obviously intended to drag out the case and delay the judicial process.
The damaged party also filed a similar petition with the attorney-general, asking it to rush the case. The petition was received by Phanchote Boonsiri, a special case prosecutor.
Mr Phanchote said he would forward it to attorney-general Pongniwat Yuthaphanborikarn for consideration.
