The Department of Special Investigation had not yet heard from Phra Dhammajayo whether he will surrender today to acknowledge charges against him or not, DSI director-general Pol Col Paisit Wongmuang said on Thursday morning.
The DSI told the abbot of Wat Dhammakaya to surrender by May 26 after the Criminal Court approved a warrant for his arrest on charges of involving in money-laundering and receiving stolen assets in connection with the Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative (KCUC) embezzlement case.
After the court approved the arrest warrant on May 17, Phra Dhammajayo's lawyers submitted two requests, one on Tuesday and the other Wednesday, for the court to withdraw the warrant, reasoning that the monk was ill. Both requests were rejected by the Criminal Court.
Pol Col Paisit said on Thursday morning that the DSI had so far not been contacted by Phra Dhammajayo or his representative. He did not know whether the monk would surrender today or not.
Regardless, the DSI already had prepared a plan to use force to arrest the Wat Dhammakaya abbot if he failed to appear.
He said a report that DSI investigators would go to meet and press charges against the monk at a hospital was incorrect. There was no such appointment, he added.
