PUBLIC PROSECUTORS have decided to indict Pathum Thani’s Wat Phra Dhammakaya abbot Phra Dhammachayo, former Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative (KCUC) chief executive Supachai Srisupa-aksorn and three other suspects |on charges of conspiracy to launder money, money laundering and receiving stolen assets.
All the charges are linked to the notorious KCUC embezzlement case, Office of the Attorney-General (OAG) spokesman Somnuek Siangkong said yesterday.
Prosecutors, who received additional evidence from the Depart-ment of Special Investi-gation (DSI) on November 11 and resolved to indict the five on Tuesday, will formally file the charges against the five suspects next Wednesday.
Prosecutors will coordinate with the DSI to apprehend two of the suspects who have eluded capture – Phra Dhammachayo and former KCUC executive Sasithorn Chokprasit – for prosecution.
The statute of limitations expires in 2024, 15 years after |the crime was allegedly committed in 2009, Somnuek said.
The indictment announcement came following four postponements after Phra Dhammachayo failed to appear before the DSI for questioning, giving the excuse that he was ill.
Somnuek said Supachai and former KCUC executives Saranya Manmad and Thongpin Kanlorm would be indicted on two charges of conspiracy to launder money and money laundering.
He added that prosecutors |had decided to file in-|dictments against Phra Dhammachayo and Sasithorn on three charges in absentia.
Chartpong Chiraban-dhu, deputy director-general of the OAG’s special litigation department, said the decision to indict the two suspects in absentia was based on “convincing” evidence provided by the DSI and plaintiffs in the case, spurring prosecutors |to seek the arrest of the two for |questioning.
After hearing the suspects’ testimony and defence, prosecutors will reassess whether to proceed with the indictment, he added.
Chartpong said the appeal submitted by Phra Dhammachayo’s lawyer, arguing that the assets in question were not gains from money laundering, would be regarded as hearsay, not testimony, because of the judicial principles that both sides must be heard in a case and the defendant must appear in person.
Chartpong added that prosecutors were working on four other lawsuits linked to the KCUC. The first is a criminal lawsuit that was filed against Supachai and 11 others late last year for fraud causing Bt5.6 billion in damages. Prosecutors have asked for a court order requiring the defendants to return assets to the victims, with the case in the process of evidentiary review.
The second criminal lawsuit was filed against Supachai and four others for stealing from their employer, forgery and using forged documents causing Bt13 billion in |damages.
The third, a civil lawsuit, was filed in September to seize assets worth Bt85.7 million from Supachai and other defendants based on charges of public fraud, with a court-appointed trial date of December 7.
The last case involves a civil lawsuit filed last Friday seeking to seize assets worth Bt1.585 billion from Supachai and other defendants based on charges of public fraud, with a court scheduling a trial to start on February 20.
Supachai has already been convicted of embezzling Bt27 million in a related case and is serving a 16-year jail term. “The aim in prosecuting the case is not just punishing the wrongdoers but also protecting and taking care of the damaged parties. This case has many affected people and caused a lot of monetary damages, so prosecutors have tried to clearly trace financial transactions and proceed carefully so the court will order the money be repaid to the damaged parties. That explains the delay,” Chartpong said.
In the meantime, prosecutor Khajornsak Buddhanuparp said the arrest of Phra Dhammachayo and Sasithorn before the expiration of the statute of limitations would be the responsibility of DSI.

A joint DSIprosecutorial team will meet with relevant agencies to plan their next move, including applying for a warrant to arrest the abbot, Khajornsak said, adding that the arrest strategy would be designed to minimise further losses.