The chairman of Lamphun Warriors Football Club has been detained in Bangkok Remand Prison while police continue their investigation into charges of operating an illegal gambling website and money laundering.
Pongsiri Thanratchawongsuek and his associate, Phassakorn Chanmayom, denied all charges when police brought them to the Criminal Court on Thursday. The officers opposed bail, citing flight risk and the fact that the offences involved some 1.2 billion baht in damages.
A source said no relatives or lawyers for the two suspects showed up to apply for bail and the pair were taken away to the remand centre.
The accused will be detained initially until July 3 while investigators question five more witnesses and pending forensic reports on evidence and fingerprints.
Mr Pongsiri, alias “Boss Than”, was arrested in Dok Kham Tai district of Phayao province on Tuesday on a warrant issued by the Criminal Court. His business partner, Mr Phassakorn, was apprehended in Chiang Mai on the same day.
Mr Pongsiri, 35, denied all charges as he was being taken to the court. He gave a wai while apologising to Lamphun Warriors fans.
When asked by reporters to provide his side of the story, Mr Pongsiri briefly said: “Give me time.”
When questioned about his concerns for the football club following the arrest, the chairman nodded in response.
Pol Maj Gen Trairong Phewpan, commissioner of the Office of Legal Affairs and Ligitation at the Royal Thai Police, in his capacity as head of the Police Cyber Taskforce (PCT), said investigators had strong evidence supporting the charges against Mr Pongsiri.
The officers have coordinated with the Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) to examine his assets believed to have been illegally acquired, said Pol Maj Gen Trairong.
PCT investigators would widen the investigation to determine whether individuals close to Mr Pongsiri and his relatives have any links to the offences. The money trail of the Lamphun Warriors would also to be investigated because the club rapidly ascended from Thai League 3 to League 1 within a few years, with numerous prominent players joining the team.
Mr Pongsiri acquired Lamphun Warriors in 2017, a few years after allegedly running the gambling website, according to police.