Lawyers for Panthongtae Shinawatra have asked the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to give them more time to gather evidence to defend him from the accusation that he and three others were complicit in money laundering through Krungthai Bank (KTB) in a loan scandal 14 years ago.
A source at the DSI revealed that the lawyer representing the four suspects approached the DSI because the deadline for evidence submission on Dec 15 is approaching.
Previously, the DSI had already granted a 60-day period to the four suspects despite the usual time allowance of 30 days. However, this source believed the department would not give more than two weeks extra as it might affect the 15-year statute of limitations in the case which will expire in June next year.
The four suspects were implicated by the latest DSI investigation which found they had received 36 million baht, part of a fraudulent loan worth 9.9 billion baht. The state-run KTB had given this 9.9 billion baht loan to a number of subsidiaries of the heavily indebted Krisdamahanakorn real-estate company.
The scandal erupted between 2003 and 2004 when Mr Panthongtae's father, Thaksin Shinawatra, was prime minister.
According to the DSI, Mr Panthongtae and the three other suspects are accused of being involved with two portions of money -- a 10-million-baht cheque and another amount of 26 million baht.
Earlier, Mr Panthongtae's lawyer wrote to the DSI, claiming Mr Panthongtae was not aware the 10-million-baht cheque he received from Krisdamahanakorn's owner Wichai Krisdathanon was part of the fraudulent KTB loan, and he had no intention to conceal the money.
The other three are Kanchanapha Honghern, a former secretary of Thaksin's ex-wife Khunying Potjaman na Pombejra; Wanchai Honghern, the husband of Ms Kanchanapha; and Kesinee Jipiphop, Ms Kanchanapha's mother. The four reported to the DSI investigators on Oct 17 to answer charges of money laundering.