The Royal Forest Department on Wednesday filed charges against the mother of Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit -- who was leader of the Future Forward Party until it was dissolved -- for unlawfully owning at least 77 plots of forest land in Ratchaburi including 450 rai in reserved forests.
Department chief Adisorn Noochdumrong pressed charges against Somporn Juangroongruangkit with the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Division (NRECD) on Wednesday.
Mr Adisorn said the department found Ms Somporn unlawfully owned plots of forest land as accused by Pareena Kraikupt, the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) MP for Ratchaburi and local people who had applied for community forest land rights documents.
Along with filing charges against Ms Somporn, the department is also asking the Department of Land to invalidate Nor Sor 3 Kor title deeds covering about 2,010 rai of Nor Sor 3 Kor land, which concerns 55 out of the 77 plots possessed by Ms Somporn, who is president and CEO of the Thai Summit Group.
In addition to those plots, the department is looking into other land plots Ms Somporn owns in Ratchaburi for which title deeds had been issued.
The plots in question include 90 rai of land in Chom Bung district and 14 other plots, according to Mr Adisorn.
The department has evidence to prove Ms Somporn had purchased the 90-rai plot of land that is in a reserved forest, he said.
The department also has receipts of payments for the land between 2010 and 2013, he said.
At this point, Ms Somporn may have encroached on the reserved forest land and unlawfully owned it, he said.
Of the 77 plots being investigated by the department, 55 of them span about 2,010 rai and are covered by the Nor Sor 3 Kor land entitlement papers.
Another seven plots extending over 350 rai are covered by Nor Sor 2 land papers.