The Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) has seized another 687 million baht worth of assets from entities linked to rice trading tycoon Apichart "Sia Piang" Chansakulporn, implicated in alleged fake government-to-government rice deals.
The agency earlier seized assets worth 12.9 billion baht from Apichart, an executive of rice miller Siam Indica Co, and other businessmen.
Amlo secretary-general Chaiya Siriampanku said the latest seizure includes 16 million baht worth of two condominium rooms in Chon Buri's Bang Lamung district owned by Apichart's son, Sorawit.
Thirty million baht in Mr Sorawit's bank accounts and mutual fund investments were also frozen, Mr Chaiya said.
Amlo also took aim at two companies linked to Apichart -- Kingdom Rice Silo Co and Merry Rice Land Co, he said.
More than 300 title deeds owned by the two firms in Ayutthaya's Bang Ban district and tambon Pa Kow, Bang Set and Rong Chang of Ang Thong's Pa Mok districts have been seized, Pol Gen Chaiya said, adding a land plot in Pa Mok district owned by Siam Indica Co was also frozen.
According to the Amlo chief, Merry Rice Land's business involves the shipment of rice and related products from rice millers. The company is situated in Pa Mok, the same district where Siam Indica is located.
Kingdom Rice Silo, meanwhile, has Mr Sorawit serving as an authorised executive.
Pol Gen Chaiya said those who have their assets frozen can lodge an appeal at Amlo to seek the revocation of the seizure order within 30 days. They should present evidence which can confirm that their frozen assets are not connected to alleged offences, he said.
Apichart is among 21 defendants accused of colluding to help two Chinese firms not authorised by the Chinese government undertake government-to-government deals with the Thai government to buy rice from stockpiles generated by the rice-pledging scheme under the government of Yingluck Shinawatra.
The two firms, Guangdong Stationery & Sporting Goods Import & Export Corp and Hainan Grain & Oil Industrial Trading Co, were given rights to buy pledged rice without competition from other bidders. They then sold the paddy, which they purchased at prices lower than what the Yingluck government bought it for, to Thailand's domestic rice traders and for Siam Indica to resell.
Other defendants in the case include former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom, former deputy commerce minister Poom Sarapol, former secretary to the commerce minister Weerawuthi Wajanaphukka as well as three former high-ranking officials of the Commerce Ministry.
The criminal case is being tried by the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Office.
Siam Indica has been the target of questions dating back to 2004 when Thaksin Shinawatra was in power. An affiliate of now-bankrupt President Agri, which was controlled by Apichart, Siam Indica in the past won bids that rival rice exporters claimed were not transparent.
Apichart was sentenced in 2014 to three years in jail after being found guilty of embezzling 20,000 tonnes of rice worth 200 million baht.