A House committee has summoned Chonnaphat Naksua, a Klatham Party MP for Songkhla, to clarify allegations regarding his involvement with online gambling networks after the Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) froze 159 million baht of his assets.
The asset seizure marked a rare step forward in enforcing the law against politicians, said Rangsiman Rome, deputy leader of the opposition People’s Party and chairman of the House committee on national security, border affairs, national strategy and national reform, on Wednesday.
He said an investigation is needed into whether Mr Chonnaphat acted alone, as reports referred to “Mr Chonnaphat and associates”.
Mr Rangsiman added that the money trail suggested other politicians might also be implicated, and authorities must verify whether additional assets were seized or hidden elsewhere.
He questioned whether the frozen 159 million baht reflected the full scope of Mr Chonnaphat’s holdings, given the enormous revenues typically generated by online gambling and scam operations.
Mr Rangsiman also suggested some assets might have been concealed as cryptocurrency, real estate, luxury cars, or gold — often under nominees’ names — making detection difficult.
The Amlo, he said, would be asked to explain these gaps before the committee, while Mr Chonnaphat is scheduled to testify before the panel on Thursday.
The MP also urged the government to take the investigation seriously, saying Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul should be aware of any politicians involved in gambling networks and scam operations.
“If Mr Anutin claims he doesn’t know [who in his cabinet might actually be involved], I don’t believe it,” Mr Rangsiman said. “Instead of defending themselves, ministers should help eliminate these criminal rings.”
He also argued that Mr Anutin must address why certain figures, including Deputy Prime Minister Thamanat Prompow, remain in power despite mounting allegations.
“If the PM refuses to act, it risks perceptions of conflict of interest and undermines public trust in the government’s anti-scam efforts,” warned Mr Rangsiman.
He did not rule out an opposition censure debate over the government’s handling of scam networks, saying discussions with the Pheu Thai Party were underway.
“We can’t let this pass,” he said.