DSI widens gambling network probe, six more suspects face charges
Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation (DSI) is expanding its case against a major online gambling network with links to a sitting Member of Parliament, with six additional suspects now facing charges, the department said yesterday, June 27.
DSI investigators submitted the case file to prosecutors on May 14 after gathering evidence against the network. The attorney general has since reviewed the file and instructed DSI to pursue charges against six more individuals connected to the case.
An arrest warrant has already been sought for one suspect, while investigators continue gathering evidence against the remaining five on the attorney general’s recommendation. The charges under consideration include criminal association, operating unauthorised online gambling through electronic media, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and participation in a transnational organised crime group.
DSI’s Technology and Cyber Crime Division said it has already brought cases against a number of people linked to the network. Investigators found the operation is largely based and run from a neighbouring country. The department said it would continue tracking financial transactions and assets connected to the network alongside the criminal proceedings, aiming for a thorough crackdown.
Regarding the MP at the centre of the case, DSI noted that he currently holds parliamentary immunity as the House of Representatives remains in session. The department plans to summon him for additional charges once the session closes.
The new charges being prepared against him are serious. They include criminal association under Section 209 of the Criminal Code, which carries a maximum sentence of seven years, and participation in a transnational organised crime group under Section 5 of the Anti-Transnational Organised Crime Act 2013, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years, reported The Standard.
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