Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Wednesday promised that his government would continuously expand its scam suppression after the huge seizure of assets worth about 10 billion baht from major suspects linked to Cambodia.
Mr Anutin told a press conference at the Central Investigation Bureau in Bangkok on Wednesday that the suppression would expand to any individuals who were proved to be involved in scams.
“There will not be any leniency. … Investigation will be based on evidence and the behaviours of wrongdoers. Legal action will be taken against them without any prejudice for any individuals,” the prime minister said.
Scam suppression would continue on a daily basis and wrongdoers would be tackled regardless of their names, Mr Anutin said.
“These operations will be maintained until things will be in order … and our people are safe,” he said.
Pol Maj Gen Sophon Sarapat, deputy commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau, said the 10-billion-baht asset seizure resulted from investigations into about complaints by about 700 online scam victims dating back to 2021.
According to the deputy commissioner, police found that victims’ money had been transferred through several layers of mule accounts and the money finally reached two bank accounts.
They were the Bangkok Bank and Kasikornbank accounts of Cambodian businessman Yim Leak, which received altogether more than 3 billion baht.
Further investigation led police to identify 42 suspects, 29 of whom were arrested. Thirteen suspects at large included Yim Leak, his Thai wife Wiranya and another Cambodian.
Police also searched 50 suspected locations in 22 provinces. In the search police impounded assets worth 10.16 billion baht comprising six stock trading accounts with securities worth 8.1 billion baht, eight luxury vehicles worth 78 million baht, an 800-million-baht yacht, 1.17-billion-baht cash in bank accounts and three land plots.
Thepsu Bowornchotedara, secretary-general of the Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo), said the suspects set up front companies which laundered scammers’ money by acquiring properties and shares in Thai listed companies including Bangchak Corporation.
He said Yim Leak and his wife had a Miss Taengthai handle financial transactions on their behalf.
Miss Taengthai had handled financial transactions for the couple as well as businessman Benjamin Mauerberger, a South African based in Bangkok. Between 2017 and 2022 the total amount of transactions exceeded 15 billion baht, Mr Thepsu said.
He said the Amlo would within 90 days ask public prosecutors to push for the confiscation of the impounded assets so that they could be later put up for auction and the proceeds would be returned to scam victims.
Benjamin Mauerberger, also known as Ben Smith, has been the subject of a two-year investigation by former Wall Street Journal reporters Tom Wright and Bradley Hope.
Their Whale Hunting website documents how Mauerberger, using connections with senior business and political figures in Thailand and Cambodia, built a “shadow empire” valued at an estimated copy.5 billion.
Mauerberger and his associates are said to have used laundered money to acquire large stakes in Thai listed companies including Bangchak Plc and Finansia X Plc. One of the transactions related to the latter led to the resignation of Vorapak Tanyawong as deputy finance minister of Thailand in October.