The Department of Special Investigation will charge property baron Anant Asavabhokin with money laundering over a highly profitable land sale involving a subsidiary of the embezzled Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative (KCUC).
The chief executive of the Land and Houses group is accused over the purchase of 46 rai of land in Pathum Thani's Khlong Luang district in 2011 from M-Home STV 2 Co, which had been taken over by KCUC, then chaired by Supachai Srisupa-aksorn, DSI chief Paisit Wongmuang said in a statement sent to the media over LINE app.
Supachai used the credit union's money to buy 275 million baht-worth of the company's shares. He last year pleaded guilty to embezzling the KCUC and is serving a 16-year jail sentence.
The 46-rai of land, near Wat Dhammakaya, was sold on Dec 23, 2011 to Mr Anant for 93.7 million baht, well below the estimated value of 281 million baht, the DSI's initial investigation concluded.
The deal caused damage to the company, and officials also found out that no payment was actually made.
Mr Anant later sold the land for 492 million baht and allegedly donated 303 million baht of the money to the Chan Khonnokyoong Foundation, overseen by the founder and former abbot Wat Dhammakaya, Phra Dhammajayo. He is on the run, wanted on a charge of laundering money and receiving stolen property in connection with the KCUC embezzlement.
The DSI also found evidence Supachai had planned to donate the land to Phra Dhammajayo, but later changed his mind.
A further inspection of the Chan Khonnokyoong Foundation revealed its money had been spent on many construction projects at the temple, including a six-storey medical care building named Boon Raksa.
The DSI is also looking into whether Mr Anant's daughter, Alisa, owns the land the building is on. The land is suspected to be linked to the KCUC embezzlement.
LH shares tumbled 4.02% to 9.55 baht in trade worth 725 million baht on the Stock Exchange of Thailand on Thursday.
