Police have sought a court order to detain another suspect in the King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang money scam case.
Mr Pada sits with the evidence police seized from him at the Crime Suppression Department in Bangkok after he was taken into custody on Jan 9, 2015. (Photo by Apichit Jinakul)
Crime suppression officers on Saturday asked Pathum Thani's Min Buri court to detain Pada Buakhao, a.k.a. Oak Prada, for 10 days until Jan 21, citing unfinished investigation.
They charged him with laundering money and collaborating to corrupt officials. Mr Pada denied the charges.
Mr Pada is said to be close to Kittisak Mattujad, a key fugitive suspect in the case in which 1.6 billion baht was stolen from the KMITL's bank accounts.
Mr Pada was alleged to have jointly entered into transactions with Mr Kittisak and acted as the middleman in selling luxury cars to him, including the Lamborghini Mr Kittisak later resold to an actor.
Police arrested Mr Pada in Sam Kok district, Pathum Thani province, on Friday. They also seized cash worth 120,000 baht and US$1,800, a Chevolet Cruze and two more car keys.
Another suspect on arrest warrant is Thawatchai Yimcharoen after police found he had opened a bank account to receive almost 50 million baht transferred from Jariwat Sahapornudomkarn, a suspect already in custody.
Unlike Mr Kittisak, Mr Thawatchai is believed to still be in Thailand.
Another 20 people on the list supplied by the Anti-Money Laundering Office, which helps police trace the money trail in the case, will also be summonsed for questioning, police said.