Former Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) chief Pongpat Chayapan and his former deputy, Pol Maj Gen Kowit Wongrungroj, are facing legal action on a new front, along with three new suspects in an alleged bribery scandal involving online football gambling networks.
Since the arrest of Pol Lt Gen Pongpat Chayapan at a Bangkok restaurant a month ago, every organised crime announced by police has bee attributed to the former CIB chief. Police announced Sunday he was the head of the "football mafia" protecting a nationwide gambling network. (File photo)
On Sunday, Phahon Yothin police sought a new warrant for the arrest of the five suspects, which the court quickly approved.
The three other suspects are identified as Pol Col Worapoj Pheuchphol, former chief of the Economic Crime Suppression Division's Sub-division 1; Pol Lt Col Songrak Khunsri, deputy chief of the Crime Suppression Division's Sub-division 6, and a civilian, Witoon Trakanpruek.
Pol Lt Gen Pongpat and Pol Maj Gen Kowit already face legal action on various counts, including lese majeste.
They await their fate in jail as the police probe into the CIB's activities under his tenure continues. The new warrant was sought on procedural grounds as it concerns new charges.
Pol Lt Gen Sriwara Rangsiphramnakul, chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said the warrant stems from a Crime Suppression Division (CSD) operation to crack down on online football gambling of the so-called "Abubakar bin Sulaiman" networks between 2009-2010.
Pol Lt Gen Pongpat, who was then the CSD chief, launched an operation to raid 58 homes and businesses in 16 provinces and seized 800 bank accounts and other assets of suspected football online gambling operators worth about 1 billion baht.
According to Pol Lt Gen Sriwara, Pol Lt Gen Pongpat and his group, who were attached to the CSD, demanded bribes from the suspects if they want the police to release their confiscated accounts and assets.
Pol Lt Gen Prawut Thawornsiri, national police spokesman and acting CIB chief, said a previous investigation showed the involvement of Pol Lt Gen Pongpat and the other four in the alleged bribery ring targeting football gambling operators was worth at least 100 million baht.
At the time, Pol Col Worapoj served as a secretary to Pol Maj Gen Kowit, said Pol Lt Gen Prawut.
Billionaire businessman Nopporn Suppipat, 43, who is also wanted in connection with the alleged criminal network, is believed to have fled from Thailand into another country.
The national police spokesman said a committee would probe the network's involvement in taking bribes from an oil smuggling ring and illegally brokering police positions at the CIB.
Pol Maj Gen Thitirach Nongharnphithak, the deputy CIB chief, would chair the investigation committee, said Pol Lt Gen Prawut.
The results of the investigation should be made available before the next reshuffle of the CIB senior officials early next year, he said.
He denied the probe was being carried out simply to justify a massive transfer of CIB officials as rumoured.
A police source said the team probing the network's assets has found the network also owns two more plots of land in Samut Sakhon.
The person named as the owner of the plots is identified only as Chob, a male relative of Pol Lt Gen Pongpat, said the source.
The investigation team is now seeking cooperation from the military to consider seizing the land under martial law while the Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) is being asked to include the plots in the money-laundering part of its investigation into the network.
Pol Lt Gen Sriwara, meanwhile, said most files in the case have been sent to the National Police Office, except some outstanding parts including those concerning money laundering and the seizure of antiques and timber.
The investigation regarding the network's money-laundering activities has yet to be concluded because police are still working with Amlo, said Pol Lt Gen Sriwara.
Police investigators are also tracking two more suspects believed to be involved in the network's money-laundering efforts, he said.
Mr Nopporn, Preecha Daratrai, 44, and Phraiches Metheesariyaphong, 45, are also believed to be involved, said Pol Lt Gen Sriwara.
These three suspects are wanted by police for allegedly intimidating a creditor to lower a 120 million baht debt to 20 million baht. The case is being investigated by Wat Phrayakrai police in Bangkok.
This part of the investigation may take longer than the others because several agencies, including the Fine Art Department, Royal Forest Department, Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, and the Amlo, are needed to work on the file, he said.