MP faces summons over forex

Opposition lawmaker urged to clear the air before House panel

PUBLISHED : 21 Jun 2026 at 06:47

The House committee on police affairs plans to summon People's Party (PP) list MP Pawoot Pongvitayapanu to explain allegations linking him to 28 million baht in transactions connected to an illegal forex trading network under investigation by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI).

Watcharapong Kuwijitsuwan, chair of the House committee on police affairs and Bhumjaithai Party MP, said on Saturday the panel would invite Mr Pawoot to provide clarification before the committee.

The move follows a DSI announcement on Friday that investigators had uncovered financial transactions worth 28 million baht linked to brokers involved in unauthorised foreign exchange trading. The agency is preparing to issue a summons to Mr Pawoot as part of its investigation.

Mr Watcharapong said the committee would determine next week when Mr Pawoot should appear and whether the DSI and other state agencies should also be invited to provide information.

The case has quickly become a political flashpoint, with the opposition PP accusing the DSI of unfairly targeting one of its MPs.

Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut questioned why Mr Pawoot was named during the DSI's briefing despite not being among those formally charged or summoned at the time.

He said it was unusual that suspects had not been identified while a person who had not yet been called in for questioning was singled out.

Mr Natthaphong also raised concerns over the timing of the announcement, noting it came as parliamentary committees were scrutinising the TH-AI Passport project, a matter in which Mr Pawoot has played an active role.

He suggested the disclosure could be viewed as an attempt to undermine Mr Pawoot's credibility and distract attention from the committee investigation.

He said the DSI briefing contained little new information and said Mr Pawoot had already explained that the transactions were related to legitimate gold trading activities and his payment gateway business.

The PP is consulting its legal team on possible action if it finds evidence that state officials acted improperly.

Mr Natthaphong also called on the National Anti-Corruption Commission to examine issues raised about the TH-AI Passport project.

Despite the allegations, Mr Natthaphong said Mr Pawoot was prepared to cooperate fully with investigators and would not seek to rely on parliamentary immunity.