People's Party MP Pawoot Pongvitayapanu reported to Department of Special Investigation (DSI) investigators today to provide documents and explain financial transactions linked to a company called Spark Digital, as part of an ongoing investigation into an alleged foreign exchange (forex) fraud scheme.
Pawoot arrived at DSI headquarters at about 2.30pm. He had previously postponed an appointment with investigators, who had summoned him to provide a witness statement on July 2.
The investigation into the money trail began after the DSI discovered that a total of 28 million baht had been transferred from Spark Digital to Pawoot's bank account in July 2024.
Pawoot said the money was the proceeds of his gold trading business and pledged to cooperate fully with the investigation.
Before meeting investigators, Pawoot told reporters that he had brought all the necessary documents to explain the transactions. He insisted that he had never persuaded anyone to invest in gold, foreign currencies or other financial assets, describing himself solely as a gold trader and investor.
Pawoot, a first-term MP and former technology entrepreneur, has recently emerged as one of the most vocal critics of Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaichanok Chidchob over the government's controversial "Thai AI Passport" project.
He has questioned the project's transparency, procurement process and technical feasibility, calling for greater public scrutiny of the initiative.
Many have criticised the DSI's decision to summon Pawoot over the alleged forex fraud, saying the move was politically motivated.
Police said hundreds of victims were allegedly lured into investing in foreign exchange trading through various applications and websites linked to several corporate entities.
They were promised high returns and initially received regular payouts, encouraging them to invest more before the scheme collapsed.
