KHON KAEN: The deputy chief of the Royal Thai Police human resources office postponed a scheduled meeting with interrogators on Monday until Wednesday in a 229-million-baht embezzlement case.
Pol Maj Gen Thanasak Ritthidejpaibul, deputy commissioner of the Provincial Police Region 4, said Pol Maj Gen Suthip Palitkusolthat asked to postpone the appointment until 1pm on Wednesday, saying he needed more time to prepare documents for presentation.
If Pol Maj Gen Suthip did not show up at two more scheduled times he would face an arrest warrant, Pol Maj Gen Thanasak said.
Last Wednesday about 30 police filed a complaint on behalf of 192 officers in the northeastern province of Loei with national police chief Chakthip Chaijinda, accusing Pol Maj Suthip of defrauding them of a total of 229 million baht early this year.
Pol Maj Gen Suthip was previously chief of Loei police and chairman of the Loei police cooperative. It was alleged he invited local policemen to borrow from the cooperative to clear debts with creditor banks.
Pol Maj Gen Suthip Palitkusolthat
He also offered to manage the borrowed money, repaying their old debts and giving them monthly investment returns of about 5,000 baht. The 192 policemen believed in him and transferred money to Pol Maj Gen Suthip.
The deputy chief had failed to pay the promised returns since January and the 192 policemen were sued by their creditor banks.
Pol Maj Gen Thanasak said the 192 police became debtors of banks and of the Loei police cooperative.
Two police colonels in Loei who worked for Pol Maj Gen Suthip at the cooperative said they had no idea what Pol Maj Gen Suthip did with the money, Pol Maj Gen Thanasak said.