A lawyer has filed a petition with the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG), asking the agency to prosecute two former Krungthai Bank (KTB) executives, including a cabinet minister, who have been spared charges in relation to the KTB loan scandal.
Wanchai Bunnag sent his petition to the attorney-general via OAG deputy spokesman Prayut Petkhun yesterday. He said people linked with money laundering in connection with the scandal must be prosecuted.
The money laundering case is now being investigated by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI).
Mr Prayut said he would report the petition to the attorney-general later. Once the DSI forwards its investigation files to prosecutors, the petition would be taken into account, he said.
Mr Wanchai is also a lawyer of former chairman of the Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative (KCUC), Supachai Srisupa-aksorn, who was found guilty of embezzling KCUC funds. Supachai was sentenced to seven years in prison by the Appeal Court early this month.
According to Mr Wanchai, there is no evidence to indicate that investigators recommended charges against incumbent Industry Minister Uttama Savanayana and Chainarong Intarameesap, who were executives of the KTB at that time. Mr Uttama and Mr Chainarong were acquitted by the court.
The statute of limitations in the case will not expire until Dec 9 next year, he noted.
Only three of five former executives of the bank have been held to account for their links to the disbursement of loans amounting to nearly 10 billion baht during the Thaksin Shinawatra administration.
They are Suchai Chaowisit, former chairman of the KTB board; Wiroj Nualkae, a former KTB board member; and Matchima Kunchorn Na Ayutthaya, another ex-board member.
They were each sentenced by the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions in 2015 to 18 years in jail.
They were among 24 people found guilty in 2015 of wrongfully approving the loans to affiliates of Krisdamahanakorn, a real-estate company, although the firm was listed with the bank as a non-performing debtor.