Justice minister defends DSI probe into forex scam

PUBLISHED : 15 Jul 2026 at 04:31

Justice Minister Pol Lt Gen Rutthapon Naowarat has rejected claims that the Department of Special Investigation rushed its investigation into the Forex fraud case involving People's Party list MP Pawoot Pongvitayapanu.

He insisted investigators had followed normal legal procedures based on forensic and financial evidence.

Pol Lt Gen Rutthapon said the Criminal Court had approved arrest warrants for only two suspects, despite the DSI seeking warrants for 24 individuals.

The court did not approve a warrant for Mr Pawoot. Instead, the DSI must issue summonses to the remaining 22 suspects requiring them to acknowledge the charges.

In Mr Pawoot's case, the DSI will issue an initial summons for him to hear the allegations.

Responding to criticism that the investigation had been accelerated, the minister said the DSI had been conducting its inquiry continuously and had gathered evidence through forensic analysis, particularly of financial transactions.

He also said he did not know the identities of the two suspects for whom arrest warrants had been approved.

Sources said DSI investigators had begun issuing summonses to the 22 suspects.

Investigation reports submitted in support of the warrant applications alleged that several companies served as payment channels and intermediaries for fund transfers before funds reached personal accounts, with additional transactions involving digital asset service providers between 2021 and 2024.

The reports said Mr Pawoot allegedly received 14 transfers of 2 million baht each on July 18, 2024 and that cumulative transactions linked to his accounts totalled more than 833 million baht.

The DSI stressed that the investigation remains ongoing and that all accused individuals and companies are presumed innocent unless proven guilty under the law.

On the DSI's separate investigation into alleged criminal association and money laundering linked to Senate election collusion, Pol Lt Gen Rutthapon said the agency was awaiting a final ruling from the Election Commission (EC) in line with instructions from the special public prosecutor, who had directed the DSI to incorporate the EC's findings into its own case file.

He said the DSI had only brought charges against eight suspects because of the available evidence.