The Criminal Court has rejected a request filed by lawyers of Phra Dhammajayo for it to withdraw a warrant for the arrest of the monk on the ground that there are no reasons to change the previous ruling, according to media reports.
The lawyers filed the petition on Monday after the Criminal Court on May 17 approved the warrant for the Department of Special Investigation to arrest the abbot of Wat Dhammakaya.
It was not clear what they cited as reasons for the request. Samphan Sermcheep, one of the lawyers of the abbot, said he did not know the details of the petition because other lawyers in the team had filed it.
Phra Dhammajayo was charged with collaborating in laundering money and receiving stolen property worth 1.2 million baht in connection with the Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative embezzlement case.
The court rejected the request on the ground that the arrest warrant had been approved according to law and there are no reasons to change the ruling.
Phra Dhammajayo's lawyers can appeal against the Criminal Court's decision in 30 days.
If the warrant is in place, the abbot of Wat Dhammakaya must report to the DSI to hear the charges against him on Thursday or be arrested, the investigators had said.