Lawyers for the 18 suspects in the iCon Group case said Min Pechaya and two others are seeking bail with a sum of 3 million baht (about $90,000). Previously, the criminal court had rejected the bail application of the group linked to the fraud case.
According to the Bangkok Post, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) is listing suspects accused of fraud (also known as multi-level marketing crime) in the iCon Group case.
Yuthana Phraedam, the acting secretary general, said the DSI was working with the Consumer Protection Board and the Office of Financial Policy to expedite investigations into suspects of multilevel marketing fraud.
Mr Yuthana said DSI officials were investigating the iCon Group’s sales figures. Investigators will meet to define the list of suspects involved in the case. The acting secretary general of the DSI said the agency has sufficient evidence for a number of charges.
A representative of the Special Investigation Department said Withoon Keng-ngan, the lawyer of the CEO of iCon Group, is planning to bring here 20 witnesses out of a total of 2,400 people who want to share information with the DSI.
Regarding the status of the 18 suspects, including actress Min Pechaya, who are currently detained, Mr. Withoon said they are “adapt” to prison conditions, they are not stressed and are above all worried about their families.
The lawyer also said the suspects are seeking bail with a sum of 3 million baht (nearly $90,000) after the criminal court rejected the 2 million baht ($60,000) bail request of three famous actors.
By the end of October, around 10,000 people had filed complaints with the national police, with preliminary statistics showing that victims had suffered losses of around 2.41 billion baht (around US$71,555,000) due to the multi-level marketing fraud.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra reassured the public that the case relating to the iCon group is ongoing. He said the DSI continues to cooperate with the Royal Thai Police (RTP), stressing that the police should provide all necessary information about the case to the DSI, without any delay in the investigation process.
Previously, the Anti-Money Laundering Bureau and the Central Bureau of Investigation had checked the financial records of the 18 suspects in the fraud case, in particular MC Kan, the actor Yuranunt “Chief Sam” Pamornmontri and the actress Pechaya “Chief Min” Wattanamontree and discovered many irregularities.
Actress Min Pechaya, who previously held a press conference denying involvement in the fraud scheme, is said to have received 9 transfers totaling 11.39 million baht (about $350,000). In 2023, he received 7 transfers totaling 8.54 million baht. This year he went on to receive two transfers of 2.84 million baht into fraudulent funds.
Source: K14