An ex-police chief's claim that he "borrowed" 300 million baht from the owner of a massage parlour, which is now being probed for human trafficking and other criminal ties, is unlikely to get him off the hook, officials said Tuesday.
Somyot Poompunmuang's public account of his ties to Kampol Wirathepsuporn, the fugitive owner of Victoria's Secret Massage, is not an official statement, according to Songsak Raksaksakul, deputy chief of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI).
Pol Col Songsak was referring to a media interview Pol Gen Somyot gave on Monday during which he attempted to explain how all of his financial transactions with Mr Kampol were transparent and above board.
The disclosure followed a report that a retired police chief and five others were to be summoned for questioning by the DSI following last month's raid on the brothel. Several illegal migrants were found on its premises.
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Mr Kampol and his wife Nipa, who are now on the run, face trafficking charges as the findings of the probe suggest the parlour may be linked to this activity.
Pol Col Songsak said that while Pol Gen Somyot, who now serves as president of the Football Association of Thailand, could try to build some kind of defence using the media, it would not help him in court.
The former top cop decided to go public with his "explanation" after investigators following the money trail from the parlour found hundreds of millions of baht had changed hands between the two men.
Pol Col Songsak said other figures were also found to have engaged in suspicious financial transactions with Mr Kampol. He declined to say if or when they would be summoned.
DSI chief Paisit Wongmuang said Pol Gen Somyot would not be called in for questioning until more details come to light.
The Office of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) are also looking into the matter, he added.
A source at the DSI said the investigation into Victoria's Secret Massage showed that large amounts of cash were invested in legal businesses, at least some of which are listed on Thai bourses.
The source said the 300 million baht is part of this, adding that in other instances officers found shares had been transferred worth around 700 million baht.
Also Tuesday, deputy police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul said it is the Amlo's job to investigate the case and decide what action should be taken against Gen Somyot.
He said the DSI is focusing on the human trafficking aspect of the case.
However the Amlo has yet to coordinate with the police on the issue, he added.
The parlour was also being probed for its use of underground water.