The major suspect of a high-profile scam with damage estimated at more than 1 billion baht has been detained after turning himself in.
Prasit Jaewkok met Pol Maj Gen Suwat Saengnoom, head of the Crime Suppression Division, on Monday morning to acknowledge public fraud charges. Five other people had also been charged.
Police will seek court approval for the first round of his detention on Tuesday.
Mr Prasit is the chairman of the Kuen Khun Pandin project, a charity project, and owns several businesses.
Police acted on complaints of people who reported they had been chated after investing in his companies, which offered high returns.
Mr Prasit on Monday told reporters that he was in fact a victim.
“I was a victim too since the fraud had been committed by some employees. And we have evidence in the form of our complaints with police. I myself lost several millions of baht,” he said.
He said the other reason was the Covid-19 outbreak. “No bank can survive if everyone withdraws money,” he said, referring to some of his businesses.
They include tour packages, some of which did not materialise, and savings cooperative-like investments which offer lucrative returns.
Mr Prasit, a self-proclaimed royalist, is also known as the “IO commander” of the army, which runs its information operation, mainly against the Opposition and pro-democracy campaigners, from the servers owned by his companies.
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