The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has combined two cases against Akara Resources Plc into one to speed up the investigation process, said a senior DSI official.
Pol Maj Woranan Srilam said the decision to put the charges of land encroachment and use of proxy shareholders together in one case was made by DSI director-general Trairit Temahiwong.
He said the DSI has launched an investigation into the proxy shareholder matter. The probe is headed by DSI's deputy director-general Pol Lt Col Supat Thamthanarug.
Combining the case of encroachment on 200-rai of land in Phichit with the use of proxy shareholders will ensure a swift process, he said. Pol Maj Woranan was responding to a petition by the Civic Group for Reform of Resources and Gold who demanded an update on the legal proceedings.
The group also called on the DSI to conduct a further investigation into the encroachment allegation against the company which is accused of operating a mine beyond its licensed zone.
A DSI probe in August 2018 said the company's large mine may have encroached on parts of a forest and highways in tambon Khao Chet Luk in Phichit's Thap Khlo district and tambon Thai Dong in Wang Pong district of Phetchabun. The mining operations were suspended in 2016 by the now-dissolved National Council for Peace and Order following complaints from villagers that the mine had poisoned the environment and harmed their health.