THE ANTI-MONEY Laundering Office (Amlo) seized Bt37.9 million from 107 different bank accounts owned by members of former Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) chief Pongpat Chayapan's network, while Bt61 million was seized from a bank account belonging to Palida Suwadi.

Amlo chief Pol Colonel Sihanart Prayoonrat said yesterday that the agency had also recently seized another 111 items worth Bt100 million - after the previous round saw 104 land-title deeds worth Bt400 million seized.

He said the agency had only checked on assets believed to come from wrongdoings, while their salary bank accounts were not checked.

In the latest batch, Amlo seized 107 bank accounts worth Bt37.9 million, including three of Pongpat's that held a total of Bt70,000.

The fact that the balance in Pongpat's accounts was 'suspiciously low' prompted Amlo to suspect that he laundered his money by collecting antiques, which are expensive and difficult to trace, Sihanart said.

He said the agency had also found that former deputy CIB chief Pol Maj-General Kowit Wongrungroj's seven bank accounts had deposits totalling Bt3.18 million, late Pol Colonel Akkharawut Limrat had 15 accounts totalling Bt2.4 million, Pol Colonel Wuthichart Luansukhan had two accounts totalling Bt5.3 million, Songpol Thongsin had 53 accounts with Bt3 million in total, Pol Snr Sgt-Major Surasak Channgao had eight accounts totalling some Bt500,000, Pol Snr Sgt-Major Chatrin Laothong had two accounts with a total of |about Bt10,000, and Cheunkamol Rungtheerapong had 16 accounts totalling Bt28.6 million.

The office discovered that there had been transactions worth a total of Bt31 million in accounts belonging to former Marine Police chief Boonsueb Praitheuan and they were empty by the time Amlo got to them, he said.

The agency will also check to see if Pongpat's group had bought any property abroad, as some Bt5.2 million had been wired to England and Switzerland - initially believed to be children's tuition fees and daily expenses, he said.

Amlo will also call on the bank-account owners to explain the money's origin or they will be taken over by the state. Amlo should have a complete list of assets by next month, he added.