Allegation of B8bn crypto shift was well-intentioned, says Ekkapop Luangprasert
A social press activist was given an arrest warrant for supposedly making false statements about a crypto deal that the Criminal Court approved on Friday because it was related to the creator of the direct sales business The image Group, which is accused of operating a pyramid scheme.
After speaking with a witness to the police about a alleged incident that occurred before iCon founder Warathaphon” Boss Paul” Waratyaworrakul was detained, founder of the Sai Mai Tong Rod ( Survive ) Facebook page Ekkapop Luangprasert is in the limelight.
On his social media page, he also shared information about the alleged bribe-taking and crytocurrency shift.
He asserted that just one hour prior to Mr. Warathaphon’s arrest, there was proof that more than 8 billion baht had been transferred to get Ethereum. He requested that the CPPD authorities check whether the image founder had a connection to the transaction.
Although Mr. Ekkapop insisted he had good purposes to assist those who had fallen prey to the direct sales company, authorities after refuted his statements as misleading.
Mr Warathaphon, 41, was remanded in custody last month along with 17 different defendants, including artists, on charges of common scams and inputting phony information into a computer program. All have denied the claims.
The Technology Crime Suppression Division’s officers requested an order on Friday evening to grant Mr. Ekkapop’s arrest warrant because he had violated the Computer Crime Act.
Mr Ekkapop, a former adviser to Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, told investigators that he was not aware of the permit. In any case, he said,” He was going to report to authorities authorities.”
He claimed that his actions were intended for the general public, noting that he had never met any logo managers.
He claimed that the arrest warrant was unimportant and that fairness may be served by police. If he is detained, he has prepared resources for his attorney to deposit as loan guarantee.
Mr Ekkaphop, a rescue charity, founded the Instagram page with eight companions in 2019 to help people in need in Sai Mai city of Bangkok. Since then, it has gained notoriety in the city and beyond as a catalyst for disaster preparedness and closing the gap between the police and the general public. The site has almost 110, 000 followers. ( Story continues below )
On October 18, officers escort Waraphon” Boss Paul” Waratyaworrakul, the founder and CEO of The image Group, from the Central Investigation Bureau to the Bangkok Criminal Court. ( Photo: Nutthawat Wichieanbut )
Detention extended
In a associated growth, the Criminal Court on Friday approved the Department of Special Investigation’s ask to hold the 18 image suspects for another 12 weeks.
Under the rules, suspects may be detained for seven 12-day times, or 84 days in total, before officers have to fully tap costs.
The defendants were not present at the court.
Financial transactions and other types of data were the subject of DSI authorities ‘ requests to question 4, 500 additional prosecution witnesses and 400 additional suspects ‘ testimony.
The investigators opposed bail, claiming that the charges imposed severe penalties and that about 9, 000 victims had lost an estimated$ 2.95 billion baht as a result. The suspects even posed a journey danger, they said.
Additionally, investigators have brought in extra charges for operating a direct sales company without authorization, borrowing money in a deceptive method, and persuading customers to visit a direct-sales system by promising benefits based on the number of new hires they employ, and running a direct sales system without authorization.
Even in prison is Kritanong Suwannawong, who was acting on behalf of 89 sign patients. She allegedly extorted money from Mr. Warathaphon while also allegedly stealing 20 % of the profits from the scam patients.