Panthongtae Shinawatra and three others charged with laundering money through the infamous Krungthai Bank (KTB) loan scandal have been given until next Friday to submit statements and evidence proving their innocence.
Department of Special Investigation (DSI) chief Pol Col Paisit Wongmuang revealed Thursday the deadline has been set for next Friday since the four had previously denied the charges and requested for a 60-day period to prepare statements and supporting evidence for submission to the DSI.
The investigation would be wrapped up before its statute of limitation expires in June next year, he added.
The statements and supporting evidence are required for joint deliberation by the DSI investigators and the public prosecutors who will decide whether the submissions are convincing enough to counter the charges levelled against the four accused.
The four had reported to the DSI investigators on Oct 17 to answer charges of money laundering, about a week before the given deadline of Oct 24, said an informed source.
Mr Panthongtae, along with three other people, is accused of laundering money lent to subsidiaries of property developer Krisdamahanakorn by state-owned Krungthai Bank in 2003 and 2004 when his father, Thaksin Shinawatra, was prime minister, even though the company was a non-performing debtor.
Meanwhile, National Anti-Corruption Commission acting chief Worawit Sukboon said the commission has resolved to petition the Supreme Court's Division for Holders of Political Positions to retry three high-profile cases which have been struck off the court's case-list.
The three cases concern government lottery fraud, better known as the two- and three-digit lottery case, in which former prime minister Thaksin and 47 other people were defendants, his government's approval of a 4 billion baht loan to the Myanmar government and the controversial procurement of fire trucks and boats by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.