The case, which involves four suspects including the co-op’s former accountant, will be sent to the prosecutors this week, said Buri Ram police chief Pol Maj General Chatawat Saengphetch.

Chatawat’s comment was made on Wednesday after co-op members protested in front of the district office and the police station on Tuesday. Police have filed a charge of Assembly Act violation against leading demonstrators.

Saying that the superintendent who filed the charge acted within his rights, Chatawat also acknowledged the protesters’ right to push the case, which had seen police complaints filed on January 24 and a disciplinary panel probe which led to the dismissal of co-op accountant Saranyapat Panthaisong.

Chatawat said the co-op had filed police complaints four times – first for the fraud charge, then for a document forgery charge, the charge of taking into possession stolen assets and then the theft (stealing from employer) charge – and each time officers must probe and follow leads which takes time.

Chatawat said the case report, which so far identified two co-op employees (including the fired accountant) and two outsiders involved in the crime, should be ready for submission to prosecutors within two to three days.

Chatawat said the committee he set up would expedite the investigation and if the plaintiffs wanted to file more charges they should lodge them with the panel.

Saranyapat was accused of doctoring 390 account books of co-op members to pocket Bt50 million, and wiring another Bt49 million to the account of a female lottery bookie since 2011.

Late last year, a provincial auditor detected irregularities resulting from the co-op’s internal probe that secured her confession, according to LPMAC president Walailak Saemram.

Buri Ram co-operative office head Weerayuth Thumthong had said the accountant was already fired due to the serious disciplinary breach while criminal code and civil code actions were pending.

In his capacity of overseeing co-operatives in the province, Weerayuth also said that another three co-operatives had theft and forgery issues so he urged all co-ops to be stricter checking accounts and money-handling personnel.