Money to talling 1.4 million baht was transferred between February 2014 and March 2015 to suspects and other people believed to be connected to last month's deadly bomb attack in Bangkok, Anti-Money Laundering Office chief Seehanat Prayoonrat said on Friday.
Speaking at a news conference, Pol Col Seehanat displayed a chart of money transfers, which showed that seven people, all Chinese and Turkish nationals, had transferred money to four people residing in Thailand.
One of the four recipients was Emrah Davutoglu, a Turkish national who was among 11 people named in arrest warrants issued in the wake of the attack. He is the husband of a Thai suspect, Wanna Suansan, who reportedly has claimed to be now residing in Turkey.
The attack on the Erawan shrine in central Bangkok on Aug 17 killed 20 people and injured more than 100. A second blast at the Sathon pier the following day was connected to the first explosion. Nobody was injured by the second incident.
The chart displayed at the news conference showed that Mr Davutoglu received money from two people who lived abroad. He received 150,000 baht in February 2015 and a further 150,000 baht in March 2015.
The Amlo also found 10 bank accounts that had been opened in Thailand and were related to the attack. Of the 10 accounts, eight belonged to Mrs Wanna, one belonged to Mr Davutoglu, and one belonged to Yusufu Mieraili, a second suspect, who was arrested at the Thailand-Cambodia border.
Asked how these money transfers related to the Bangkok blast, Pol Col Seehanat said that by tracking Mr Davutoglu, one of 11 suspects in the case, officials could track all of the people involving in the transfers and find out what the money was used for. Thus officials believe the unusual transfers were related to the incident in Bangkok.
Since the fatal explosion hit central Bangkok, courts have issued arrest warrants for 11 people — one Thai woman, four Turkish men, one Chinese man and five foreign men whose nationalities have not been identified.