One of six suspects in the alleged embezzlement of a huge sum of money from King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang recently paid cash for a house worth 24 million baht, the acting chief of the Crime Suppression Division's sub-division 1 said Thursday.
Pol Col Jeerapop Puridetch said an on-going investigation found Poonsak Boonsawat, a 26-year-old master's degree student, bought a house in Laddarom Chaiyaphruk-Chengwattana housing estate, a resort-style housing project on Chaiyaphruk Road, in May.
Mr Poonsak was implicated in the KMITL embezzlement case along with three other people by Songklod Sriprasong, 40, a former manager of Bank of Ayudhaya’s Big C Srinakarin branch and one of the key suspects.
Mr Songklod and Amporn Noisamrit, 56, head of KMITL's financial division, have been accused of embezzling almost 2 billion baht from KMITL.
Two of the principal suspects have been named as Jariwat Sahapornudomkarn and Kittisak Muttujad. The third has yet to be named. Police investigations are now focusing on two separate block sums of money missing from the university -- one of 85 million baht thought to have been embezzled in October and 1.58 billion baht deposited at various commercial banks from 2012 to this year.
Mr Poonsak told police Mr Kittisak had lent him the money to buy the house.
On Thursday, he reported to Pol Col Jeerapop to deny any involvement in the scandal and to explain the origin of the 85 million baht which had been transferred to his bank account in early October.
He claimed a friend asked him to open a bank account in his name and after that the 85 million baht had been transferred to it. The friend later asked him to transfer the money to three other bank accounts. He denied any wrongdoing and said he only did what his friend asked him to do.
Police are questioning him further.
Pol Col Jeerapop said it was believed the suspects may have been colluding in the theft of the KMITL money since 2012. An investigation is underway to follow the money trail.