The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) is poised to seize more assets owned by another 10 key suspects in the multi-million-baht Mae Manee Ponzi scam and is seeking arrest warrants for at least 50 others.
Meanwhile, about 70 key suspects in the Forex-3D investigation, another Ponzi case with estimated losses of at least 1.2 billion baht, will either be summoned for questioning or face an arrest warrant, said Piyasiri Wattanavarangkul, director of the DSI's Bureau of Illegal Financial Business Crime, on Tuesday.
The Royal Thai Police (RTP) has already seized assets worth about 133 million baht in the Mae Manee case, which will later be merged with assets the DSI now aims to seize from the other 10 suspects in a couple of weeks from now, he said.
The DSI also looks set to seize assets worth millions of baht from about 15 key suspects in the Forex-3D case, he said.
The DSI had so far received complaints from 4,282 victims in the Mae Manee case, with total losses estimated at 979 million baht, and 6,047 victims in the Forex-3D case, DSI director-general Pol Col Paisit Wongmuang said.
On Nov 1, Wantanee Tippaveth, aka Mae Manee, 28, and her 20-year-old boyfriend Methee Chinnapha, the two main suspects in the Mae Manee case, were arrested at a house in Chon Buri's Sattahip district.
Meanwhile, more than 50 alleged victims of the Mae Manee and other Ponzi scams on Tuesday submitted proposals for an anti-Ponzi scam law, which they believe will help prevent people falling victims to fraudsters.
Accompanied by Samat Chenchittrachaiwanit, an assistant to the justice minister, they submitted their proposed bill to Adm Sitthawat Wongsuwan, chairman of the senatorial committee on corruption and misconduct investigation and good governance promotion.
The proposals deal with the establishment of a new investigative body to specifically deal with Ponzi cases and a new fund to ensure financial help for Ponzi victims while they wait for drawn out legal procedures to be completed.
Another proposal is tougher punishments by increasing prison sentences from the current three to five years to between seven and 14 years.
Adm Sitthawat said his committee will study the submitted proposals along with the scrutiny of a bill designed to tackle the same problems in the House of Representatives.