Prosecutors have again postponed the decision whether to indict Phra Dhammajayo, abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya, and four others for money-laundering and receiving stolen property arising from the multi-billion baht Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative embezzlement case.
Somnuek Siangkong, spokesman of the Office of the Attorney-General, said on Tuesday that prosecutors had first postponed their decision from July 13 to Aug 30 as they had ordered additional interrogation by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI).
It had now been delayed again, to Oct 6, because an additional report from the DSI, although lengthy and complex, was insufficient to make a decision. Besides, the case involved many parties and huge damages. Therefore, prosecutors must be very careful in considering the case, Mr Somnuek said.
Prosecutors postponed the indictment decisions to 10am on Oct 6.
The five suspects in the case are Phra Dhammajayo, who has refused to answer charges and faces an arrest warrant, already imprisoned Supachai Srisupa-aksorn, a former treasurer of Wat Phra Dhammakaya and former chairman of the Klongchan cooperative, and three women, one of whom is still at large.
"Oct 6 is a good timeframe, but if the public prosecutors are still not be ready by then, it can be postponed again," Mr Somnuek said. "There will not be any impact on the case because the statute of limitations in these matters lasts many years."
Phra Dhammajayo, whose monastic title is Phrathepyanmahamuni, is charged with conspiring and collaborating to launder money and accepting stolen goods.
In 2015, Supachai was arrested for embezzlement. More than 878 cheques worth 11 billion baht were allegedly made out using the cooperative's funds and authorised by Supachai. Phra Dhammajayo, his monks, his temple and partners allegedly received 1.4 billion baht of the embezzled money.
In March the Criminal Court sentenced Supachai to 16 years in jail, the first such ruling in seven cases connected to the cooperative scandal. Supachai pleaded guilty in court to charges of embezzlement, which he initially denied.
