The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) will seek a warrant for the arrest of Manop Divari, father of former Pheu Thai MP Sita Divari, and initiate extradition proceedings if his whereabouts can be verified.
Manop: Claims to be in Germany
Mr Manop is one of three suspects in a money laundering case connected to the Krungthai Bank (KTB) loan scandal. The other two are Kanchanapa Honghern and her husband Wanchai Honghern.
DSI chief Paisit Wongmuang said the DSI will check whether Mr Manop has returned from abroad, and if he has not, the DSI will ask the court for an arrest warrant to kickstart any extradition request.
His comments follow a report that the Office of Attorney-General (OAG) will ask the agency to track Mr Manop down so he can be brought to hear the indictment against him.
Mr Manop informed the OAG in late October that he was in Germany by sending a letter requesting an indictment postponement. He included a photocopy of a flight ticket as evidence as to where he was.
"If he has not returned, the DSI will seek the arrest warrant and seek his extradition," Pol Col Paisit said.
He said that the DSI was also trying to verify the whereabouts of Ms Kanchana and her husband who were last heard of in Hong Kong. The couple fled after being granted bail.
According to the DSI chief, it might be difficult to pick up the couple's trail again because they have other passports.
Ms Kanchanapa was the secretary of Khunying Potjaman na Pombejra, ex-wife of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
On Oct 10 last year, Panthongtae "Oak" Shinawatra, Thaksin's son, was indicted on charges of conspiring to launder money in connection with a 10 million baht cheque also linked to the KTB loan scandal.
