PUBLISHED : 25 Jul 2023 at 17:07
The Department of Special Investigation said on Tuesday a TV actor and a celebrity DJ were summonsed for questioning in connection with the Forex-3D fraud after financial transactions linked them to the scheme’s founder.
DSI investigators have summonsed 11 additional witnesses in two cases linked to the Forex-3D case. Three were to be questioned about the Ponzi scheme at the root of the alleged fraud, and the eight others about associated money laundering, Pol Maj Gen Woranan Srilam, a senior investigator of financial crime, said.
The first three witnesses were scheduled to meet investigators on Aug 3, 4 and 7. They had not contacted the DSI seeking postponements.
Actor Ratthaphum “Film’’ Tokhongsap and Wichian “DJ Petjah’’ Kusolmanomai were among the eight others to be questioned about the money laundering linked to Forex-3D, Pol Maj Gen Woranan said.
They were summonsed because investigators found financial transactions that linked them to Apiruk Kothi, the founder of Forex-3D, he said.
Forex-3D lured people to invest in what they believed to be a foreign exchange trading platform with false promises of high returns. It was unlicensed but operated from a flashy website run by Mr Apiruk, who was arrested in January 2021. More than 9,800 investors reportedly suffered total losses of at least 2.48 billion baht.
“Some witnesses sought to testify in writing, but giving statements for the first time requires that witnesses appear in person before investigators, to ensure clarity in questioning. Mr Ratthaphum is scheduled to testify to DSI investigators on Aug 8 and Mr Wichian on Aug 17,” the senior investigator said.
He believed many assets acquired through the Ponzi had been converted or laundered. Investigators would try to trace those assets.
Actor Ratthaphum, who ran for a House seat under the Palang Pracharath Party’s banner in Bangkok in the May 14 elections, admitted on his Instagram account on Monday that he had received money from Mr Apiruk. He said he had an online game production business in 2018 and the Forex-3D founder had hired him to produce games for mobile phones.
According to investigators, Mr Apiruk transferred 81,000 baht to the actor’s bank account on Sept 6, 2018. Between June 18, 2019 and July 1, 2019, a company linked to Mr Apiruk had transferred another 6 million baht to the actor’s bank account.
Mr Ratthaphum insisted he was innocent and said he would testify before the DSI on Aug 8 as scheduled. The actor said he would provide evidence of the hiring contract to investigators.
He said he was ready to testify to the DSI and would also produce evidence about one money transfer of 50,000 baht from Mr Apiruk, who hired him to promote a social media page featuring cars.
A customer had contacted him to promote the social media page and he was not aware at the time that Mr Apiruk was the real customer. After receiving the summons from the DSI, he checked his bank account and later learned Mr Apiruk was the person who transferred the money.