Police have summonsed deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn to face a money-laundering charge in connection with alleged online gambling.
Police from Thung Song Hong station placed the notice from Metropolitan Police Division 2 at the residence of Pol Gen Surachate aka Big Joke on Soi Vibhavadi 60 Road in Bangkok's Laksi district on Sunday morning. According to the notice, Pol Gen Surachate was required to acknowledge the charge at the division on Thursday.
Initially police from Thung Song Hong could not enter the housing estate because its security guards demanded they show the notice. Police refused to show the document.
After police warned the security guards that they would be charged with obstruction to the officers' mission, they were admitted. The negotiation took about 20 minutes.
A police source said that national police chief Pol Gen Torsak Sukvimol was informed of the notice and agreed with the legal action.
Pol Gen Surachate told reporters later that he was not home and he would have to check the details of the notice and find out if the investigation into his case was legally conducted. If not, he said, the notice would be considered as illegitimate.
Pol Gen Surachate said his lawyers would hold a press conference on the matter on Tuesday.
Last week the deputy national police chief denied he was involved with any online gambling network, pointing out that a court had refused to issue a warrant for his arrest.
Pol Gen Surachate's lawyer, Nathawit Netijarurote, last Tuesday said there were attempts to discredit Pol Gen Surachate because he was now the most senior candidate for the national police chief's job.
Pol Gen Torsak Sukvimol, the present national police chief, is due to retire at the end of September this year.