The Office of the Attorney-General (OAG) has, for the fifth time, postponed until Nov 30 its decision on whether to indict Phra Dhammajayo, the abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya, in a money-laundering case, saying it is still waiting for an additional investigation report from the Department of Special Investigation (DSI).
The postponement was announced on Monday by Chatipong Vachiraphan, deputy chief of the prosecution office at the DSI.
Five people have been accused of money-laundering and taking stolen property in connection with the multi-billion-baht embezzlement scandal in which Supachai Srisupa-akson, former chairman of Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative (KCUC), was convicted of siphoning money from his organisation.
Supachai is named the first and Phra Dhammajayo second defendants in this case.
The OAG first received an investigation report from the DSI on June 13. It has since postponed its decision for five times, saying the report had not been completed, and has ordered the DSI to conduct more investigation into the KCUC's money trails.
Supachai is serving time in prison after being found guilty of embezzlement in another case and sentenced by the Criminal Court to 16 years in jail.
A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Phra Dhammajayo, but so far he has not been arrested.
The other defendants are Saranya Manmhad, a former financial officer at the KCUC, Thongphin Kanlom, a former deputy chairman of the cooperative, and Sasithon Chokprasit.
