The Office of the Attorney-General (OAG) has resolved to indict former deputy commerce minister Banyin Tangpakorn and three other suspects in a document forgery case involving unlawful transfers of shares worth more than 300 million baht linked to the death of billionaire property developer Chuwong Sae Tang in 2015.
A source close to the OAG revealed the decision yesterday. The other three suspects are Kanthana Siwathanapol, a 28-year-old close associate of Chuwong; Uracha Wachirakulton, a 27-year-old former broker at AEC Securities Plc who handled Chuwong's stock accounts; and Srithana Promma, 53, the mother of Ms Uracha, said the source. They were charged with document forgery, theft and receiving stolen items, said the source.
Chuwong was killed in a car crash in 2015 when Pol Lt Col Banyin drove his Lexus sports utility vehicle into a tree in Prawet district, Bangkok, on June 26. Pol Lt Col Banyin survived the incident and was charged with premeditated murder.
Just days before the crash, shares worth over 300 million baht that were owned by Chuwong were found to have been transferred to two women, raising suspicion of foul play. The shares were given to Ms Kanthana and Ms Srithana.
In this document forgery case, prosecutors at the Department of Southern Bangkok Civil litigation had decided to not indict any of these suspects and sent the investigation files back to the police with a request for the national police chief to decide whether to object to the prosecutors' decision at that time, said the source.
The police chief had already submitted to the OAG his view that the four suspects should be indicted, which has led to this new decision to indict the four suspects, said the source.
While waiting previously for the new decision in this case by the OAG, Chuwong's family last year filed three civil cases and another three criminal cases linked to both the document forgery case and the murder case.
The Phra Khanong Provincial Court on Dec 13 last year accepted the cases for trial and the trial is scheduled to begin on Feb 12.
