Phuket MP Summoned Again in DSI Nominee Property Probe, Arrest Warrant Possible

Phuket MP Somchat Techathaworncharoen has been summoned by Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation (DSI) for a third time as a witness in an investigation into property allegedly held through Thai nominees on behalf of foreigners.

Justice Minister Police Lieutenant General Ruttaphon Naowarat said on September 21 that the new summons is scheduled for September 28. The date was set at Somchat’s request, and the minister said he expected the MP to appear.

The investigation concerns property holdings and condominium units in Phuket involving Thai nationals and foreigners. According to earlier reports, the DSI has been examining Somchat’s role as a director or shareholder in companies connected with the properties. He has denied acting as a nominee for foreign investors.

The September 28 summons will be the third issued in the case. The first reportedly failed to reach Somchat, while a second summons was subsequently delivered. He later requested that his statement be postponed until the end of September because of parliamentary duties.

Ruttaphon said that if Somchat does not appear, the DSI would have to file a complaint with Thung Song Hong Police Station under Section 24 of the Special Case Investigation Act. The minister said that failure to comply with the summons could lead to further legal action while the main investigation would continue.

Asked whether an arrest warrant could be issued if the MP failed to appear on September 28, Ruttaphon initially said investigators would consider the circumstances and follow the relevant procedures. When asked again whether an arrest warrant was a possible outcome, he answered yes.

Business records have reportedly linked Somchat to at least 28 companies as a director or shareholder, either in his own name or through his law firm. These links are part of the scrutiny surrounding the nominee investigation, but they do not by themselves establish that he acted unlawfully.

Somchat voluntarily appeared at the DSI on August 20, before the latest summons, and said he was prepared to cooperate with the investigation. He has rejected allegations that he acted as a nominee for foreigners and previously said that none of the businesses connected to him had transferred any part of Thai land ownership to foreigners.

The investigation remains ongoing, and no finding that Somchat committed a criminal offence has been announced.