The Attorney-General has ordered the prosecution of Klatham Party politician Chonnaput Naksua and two associates in separate cases linked to illegal online gambling and money laundering, with investigators instructed to bring all suspects to prosecutors for court action.
Chairat Pawakanan, deputy spokesman for the Office of the Attorney-General, said on Wednesday the cases stemmed from investigations by Muang Songkhla and Hat Yai police stations.
In the first case, Muang Songkhla police investigated Mr Chonnaput and Phattharasak Saengsawang over alleged money laundering linked to an online gambling operation. The case originated from an earlier gambling probe in which both men were accused of jointly organising or promoting illegal online gambling.
In that underlying case, prosecutors had previously declined to indict Mr Chonnaput but prosecuted Mr Phattharasak, who was convicted by the Songkhla Provincial Court on May 13 last year. He was sentenced to six months in prison, reduced to three months after pleading guilty.
Investigators submitted the money-laundering case in October 2022, but the Songkhla provincial prosecutor initially ordered no prosecution in December that year. Police Region 9 later challenged the decision, prompting a review by the Attorney-General, who ordered further investigation.
After additional evidence was submitted in December last year, the Attorney-General ruled on April 3 that Mr Chonnaput was linked to assets derived from gambling offences and had transferred or converted those assets to conceal their origin.
Prosecutors said a money-laundering case does not require a prior conviction in the predicate offence. The Attorney-General therefore ordered the indictment of Mr Chonnaput and Mr Phattharasak on joint money-laundering charges under the Anti-Money Laundering Act. Authorities were also instructed to coordinate with the Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) regarding two seized vehicles.
In the second case, Hat Yai police accused Mr Chonnaput and Nattawut Janthara of jointly operating and promoting illegal online gambling, as well as importing false computer data into a computer system.
Although provincial prosecutors had initially declined to prosecute both men, Police Region 9 again objected, and the Attorney-General ordered further investigation. On April 3, the Attorney-General ordered both suspects indicted on online gambling charges under the Gambling Act.
However, prosecutors found insufficient evidence to support the computer crime allegation, saying investigators failed to show that any of the online data was distorted, forged or false. Instead, the evidence indicated the material was genuine gambling-related content used to solicit participation. Authorities were also ordered to verify whether five seized firearms belonged to the suspects and, if relevant, present the evidence in court.
