A central figure who managed the finances of former Ssangbangwool Group chief Kim Seong-tae is likely to be repatriated from Thailand as early as this week.

The Pattaya Provincial Court on Tuesday slapped a fine of four-thousand baht, or some 150-thousand won, on the figure, surnamed Kim, for illegally staying in the country.

Having expressed intent not to appeal the court ruling, he is set to be forcibly sent back to South Korea within days, which the foreign ministry said could happen as early as this week but is more likely next week.

Kim, the former chairman’s bookkeeper, was arrested in Pattaya early last December after he fled South Korea in late May to avoid investigations into alleged embezzlement and misappropriation.

Upon Kim’s return, the prosecution’s probe into Ssangbangwool Group is expected to gain speed.