Police on Monday handed over a preliminary investigation file into the Nice Review Ponzi scheme, which caused at least 368.6 million baht in damage to at least 2,060 people, to the Department of Special Investigation (DSI).
The DSI expects to wrap up the case and seek to have suspects indicted by February next year, said Pol Col Paisit Wongmuang, director-general of the DSI.
So far, assets with a combined value of 175 million baht have been seized and a number of suspects have been arrested.
The DSI is now encouraging more people who were affected by this major Ponzi scheme to come forward and lodge complaints.
"Only those damaged parties whose names are included in the investigation file will be entitled to receive a share of any compensation if the court rules to auction seized assets to get money back to the victims," he said.
The deadline for damaged parties to lodge their complaints with the police is Friday, he said.
As for the Mae Manee Ponzi scheme case, which involves 3,965 damaged parties and 2 billion baht in damage, Pol Col Paisit said the Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) had so far seized assets worth about 56 million baht and a total of 150 key suspects have been interrogated.
"The DSI now expects to wrap up this case and forward its investigation report to the prosecution by Jan 8 next year," he said.
Pol Col Paisit also announced that another 91 million baht in assets have been seized in the investigation into Forex 3D, another high-profile Ponzi scheme.
"A number of damaged parties in these Ponzi scheme cases were found to be well aware that they were putting money into fake investment programmes and they had even lured people they knew into investing in the same scam," according to Pol Col Paisit.
This type of damaged party will also be treated as a suspect in the cases, he said.