The Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) has seized about 500 million baht worth of assets belonging to three suspects in the 4-billion-baht VAT refund scam.
Amlo secretary-general Seehanat Prayoonrat, his team and police yesterday raided a house in Chaeng Watthana Soi 10 in Laksi district owned by the three suspects .
They are Patcharee Sirichok, her sister Nuchnart, and mother Namtip. The house acts as a residence and a company office for the three.
Authorities believe the three have links with Weerayut Sae-lok, the key suspect in the alleged VAT scam.
Ms Patcharee set up a company and conspired with Mr Weerayut to commit the fraud, authorities said.
"Ms Patcharee was part of the VAT scam and the investigation will be widened to discover others involved," Pol Col Seehanat said.
Others must be involved since Mr Weerayut took only two years to cause 4 billion baht in damage to the country from the fraud, he said.
The Amlo chief said yesterday's raid uncovered two large safes in the house. Officials asked Ms Patcharee for the combination numbers to the safes, but she failed to cooperate, he said.
The safes were taken to Amlo headquarters for further examination, he said.
Other officers were sent to three other properties owned by the trio, Pol Col Seehanat said.
They were a house in Nonthaburi's Bang Yai district, a 34-million-baht condominium in Sathon and the Hill Hotel in Nakhon Ratchasima's Pak Chong district, valued at 100 million baht.
Up to 500 million baht worth of assets were seized in the four locations, he said.
Last year Amlo seized 280 million baht worth of assets belonging to Mr Weerayut and other accomplices in three other raids.
It is thought the suspects deceived the Revenue Department with bogus requests for VAT refunds worth a total of 4.3 billion baht between 2012 and 2013.
"Further inquiries will determine whether state officials were involved in this case," Pol Col Seehanat said.
Authorities launched the probe into the alleged fraud after former finance minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong received a complaint that high-level Revenue Department officials had approved falsified VAT refund requests.