Former politician and massage parlour tycoon Chuvit Kamolvisit on Friday submitted more evidence to the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG), asking it to press a charge of money laundering against Chinese businessman and suspected triad boss Chaiyanat "Tuhao" Kornchayanant.
Mr Chaiyanat is accused of being involved in supplying or authorising the sale of narcotics that were confiscated at an illegally run pub in Yannawa district.
He is also charged with operating the pub without permission and providing assistance to drug-related offenders, as well as associating with a transnational crime network.
During his latest visit to the authorities to provide information about the Chinese gang operating in Thailand, Mr Chuvit urged the OAG to fast-track efforts to press a money laundering charge against Mr Chaiyanat in order to prevent him from transferring his assets somewhere else.
A crucial document supplied by Mr Chuvit also showed the transaction history and money trail of Mr Chaiyanat, which suggested the involvement of several other individuals in his presumed network.
Aside from the potential money laundering charge, Mr Chuvit told reporters he had received confirmation from national police chief Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas stating that the OAG has now been granted full authority to move forward with legal proceedings.
Pol Gen Damrongsak said he would endorse the filing of a lawsuit against any wrongdoers rather than the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB).
The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has taken charge of the case due to the slow progress made in proceeding with the money laundering charge.
Mr Chuvit said all of the Chinese patrons arrested during the crackdown at the Jinling pub on Charoen Rat Road on Oct 26 are now trying to amass money to bribe immigration police with 5 million baht each so they can flee Thailand and take a charter flight to Cambodia.
He said they might have illicit drugs with them and warned immigration police against taking any "tea money" as he has all their passport information and can track them down.
Mr Chuvit pointed to the negligence of police tied to the case, including those who released Chinese patrons who tested positive for illicit substances, as well as prime suspects, and other officers who released a luxury car owned by Shui Tai Wei, operator of the Baby Face pub in Sutthisan district.
"I didn't mean to blame the MPB chief or the other officers. I just pointed to the negligence of the MPB. I want to address this to stamp out illegal businesses run by foreigners in Thailand."
