BANGKOK – Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has showcased a major crackdown on online crime, announcing asset seizures and freezes linked to three large cross‑border scam networks. Authorities seized assets worth more than 10 billion baht ($313 million) in raids on 50 locations across 22 provinces.
During a press conference, Prime Minister Anutin fielded questions about connections between the criminal network and members of his government. He insisted that the government is tackling online crime without double standards and without shielding anyone.
The opposition, however, argues that Anutin should first remove Capt Thammanat Prompao from his posts as Deputy Prime Minister and Agriculture Minister. They point to evidence suggesting that Thammanat has close ties to a South African businessman whose financial activities are allegedly linked to international online crime.
Seizure of assets linked to the “Yim Leang – Ben Smith” network worth 10.157 billion baht
Both Yim Leang and Ben Smith, also known as Benjamin Maurerberger, are foreign nationals whose names appear on a proposed US sanctions list. The draft law would create a joint task force to crack down on transnational scam gangs that target US citizens.
The pair is accused of involvement in cross‑border crime related to online fraud and human trafficking in Southeast Asia.
Yim Leang is a Cambodian businessman and chairman of the B.I.C. Group and B.I.C. Bank. His businesses have links to financial services and securities trading in Thailand.
These links raised concerns among MPs from the People’s Party, who asked in parliament whether Thailand’s financial and stock market systems were being used to launder money for criminal groups.
Ben Smith is a South African businessman. Rangsiman Rome, an MP from the People’s Party, referred to him during the policy debate of Anutin’s government on 30 September.
Rangsiman said Smith had a background in early‑generation scam operations and is now an adviser to Hun Sen. He also claimed Smith has a close relationship with Yim Leang.
The investigative site Whale Hunting reported that this South African businessman introduced Yim Leang to the idea of making money by developing land into casinos, which were then allegedly used to launder Chinese capital.
The report also said Smith did business with Worapark Thanyawong, a former Deputy Finance Minister in Anutin’s government. Worapark resigned after only a little over a month in office, following scrutiny over his links to Yim Leang.
Worapark has consistently denied that he or his wife was involved in money laundering from online crime.
How investigators traced the money
At a press briefing at the Central Investigation Bureau on 3 December, Pol Maj Gen Sophon Saraphat, Deputy Commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau, explained how the case started.
In 2021, the Royal Thai Police’s Anti‑Online Scam Centre analysed data from complaints filed by victims across several types of fraud, including:
- online shopping scams
- illegal online gambling
- fake job offers
- loan applications via mobile apps
Officers identified around 700 victims. When they followed the money trail through chains of mule accounts, they discovered that at the fifth layer of mule accounts, two key accounts stood out.
One account at Bangkok Bank recorded more than 3,000 million baht in transactions from over 300 transfers. Another account at Kasikornbank showed losses reported by victims of around 154 million baht.
Both accounts listed Yim Leang as the ultimate beneficiary.
Police then sought arrest warrants for 42 suspects in total, including Yim Leang and his Thai wife, Virinya Yimj (police referred to her as “Wiranya” during the briefing). A Cambodian national acting as a mule was also included in the warrants.
Since the case involves transnational organised crime, the FBI (US Federal Bureau of Investigation) supplied Thai authorities with detailed intelligence. This evidence helped Thai police obtain the warrants for all 42 suspects.
So far, 29 suspects have been arrested. The remaining 13, including Yim Leang, his wife, and the Cambodian mule, are still believed to be abroad.
AMLO’s asset seizure in the Yim Leang – Ben Smith case
Pol Maj Gen Sophon said that on 3 December, officers carried out AMLO transaction committee orders to freeze and seize assets belonging to Yim Leang. The assets have a combined value of 10.157 billion baht.
AMLO secretary‑general Thepsu Bovornchotidara explained that close cooperation with the Royal Thai Police led to a key discovery.
A Thai woman, Ms Taengthai Baanmahing, acted under a power of attorney to carry out transactions connected to Yim Leang’s bank accounts.
Thepsu said that between 2017 and 2022, more than 15 billion baht passed through accounts linked to Yim Leang, his wife, and Ben Smith.
He added that the group set up shell companies as fronts. These companies held assets and funds believed to come from online fraud and other criminal activities, which were then laundered.
AMLO worked with police to seize and freeze assets tied to these shell firms. The list includes:
- land plots
- condominium units
- securities in trading accounts
- money in bank accounts
- luxury cars
- a yacht
“These companies also held shares,” Thepsu said. “We seized the shares that those companies held through the stock market.”
He said the frozen shares were worth about 6 billion baht as of 28 November. Most of them were shares in Bangchak Corporation. AMLO believes these shares were linked to criminal activity.
The shares will be frozen for 90 days. Owners have 30 days to prove that the assets are not linked to an offence. If they can show a lawful origin, the freeze order can be lifted.
Political Questions and the Thai Citizenship Issue
During the press conference, a reporter asked Anutin how he would deal with Capt Thammanat Prompao, Deputy Prime Minister and Agriculture Minister, after evidence showed that he knows Ben Smith.
Anutin replied that people can know each other, but stressed the policy given to investigators.
“If the trail leads to anyone, you must act according to the law, the evidence, and the investigation. No exceptions.”
“Don’t focus on names, look at conduct,” he added. “If the evidence points to anyone, the law applies. If we fail to act, we would be guilty of neglect.”
The prime minister revealed that Yim Leang had obtained Thai citizenship by marriage to his Thai wife. Anutin said he had already instructed the Interior Ministry’s permanent secretary to revoke Yim Leang’s Thai nationality.
Pol Maj Gen Sophon confirmed that Ben Smith does not currently face an arrest warrant. His name appears only in relation to financial transactions with Yim Leang, as already described by AMLO.
The Background of Ms Taengthai
Ms Taengthai’s name had already surfaced in a major case more than a decade ago.
In 2013, she appeared in media reports about a pirate gang that robbed a cash transport boat carrying Singapore dollars and Malaysian ringgit worth over 120 million baht, and killed seven of the eight crew members.
Post Today reported that Ms Taengthai, acting under a power of attorney from Sahasap International Co. Ltd. (a currency exchange business), filed a complaint with the police. She said the company’s money boat had been robbed off the coast of Nong Chik district in Pattani.
Seven crew members were shot dead, and one disappeared. Police later recovered most of the money and arrested four suspects.
Sahasap International Co Ltd is part of the business empire of Sahachai Chiarasermsuk, widely known as “Sia Jo”, a well‑known businessman with influence in southern Thailand.
In 2014, the Isranews Agency reported that the Criminal Court on Ratchadaphisek Road had approved additional arrest warrants for eight more suspects in an oil smuggling case. The list included “Sia Jo” and Ms Taengthai.
Sahachai is still at large.
Thepsu said that in relation to Ms Taengthai and her links to the “Sia Jo” oil smuggling network, officials would check all angles and expand the investigation as far as needed.
Seizure of Assets Linked to the “Kok An” network Worth 467 Million Baht
Kok An, a Chinese‑Cambodian tycoon, is one of Cambodia’s wealthiest businessmen and a sitting senator. He founded Anco Brothers, a group involved in imports, retail, casinos, banking, real estate, internet services, water supply, and electricity in Cambodia.
He is a board member of the Cambodian Oknha Association and is regarded as close to Hun Sen, now president of the Cambodian Senate.
His companies hold a licence for Crown Resort Casino in Poipet, on the border with Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province. He is widely known in Thailand as “the godfather of Poipet”.
Links to cyber‑scam centres
Cyber Scam Monitor, a project tracking fraud in Southeast Asia, reports that Kok An has been accused of links to several Chinese‑run cybercrime compounds in Cambodia.
These centres have been associated with forced labour and human trafficking, including:
- Crown Resort Poipet, with an 18‑storey and a 25‑storey building, is tied to mule accounts, online gambling, and scam centres. Thais have reportedly fallen to their deaths from these buildings.
- Crown Casino in Bavet.
In July, the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB), known as the Cyber Police, issued arrest warrants for Kok An and three of his children. The children held Thai nationality at the time, but the Department of Provincial Administration has since revoked it.
Thai police accuse Kok An of involvement in a transnational crime organisation that controls large online scam bases, earning him the nickname “Poipet godfather”. Authorities also froze assets worth several billion baht in Bangkok, Samut Prakan, and Chonburi.
AMLO’s Findings on the Kok An Network
Thepsu said police information shows that the illegal transactions connected to Kok An follow the same pattern seen in the Yim Leang – Ben Smith network. The group relied on “mules” again, this time mainly Thai nationals who opened accounts and provided facial scans to enable the scammers’ operations.
“We found that this is a large network with its main operation centre in Cambodia,” the AMLO chief said.
The transaction committee has ordered the seizure and freezing of 90 items of property believed to be tied to the offences. These include land and money in bank accounts, with a total value of about 467 million baht.
An AMLO press release issued on 2 December stated that this seizure is linked to the arrest of Ms Parichat Sae‑iao and associates. They are accused of involvement in a transnational crime organisation and money laundering connected to the online fraud of actress and beauty queen Charlotte Austin, who lost 4 million baht last year.
Police investigations expanded from that case and uncovered connections to a larger transnational crime network. The operation centre was traced to a 25‑storey building, an 18‑storey building, a building known as Hiso, and the Crown Casino building, all owned by Kok An.
Asset Seizure Against “Chen Zhi” of Prince Group in Thailand Worth over 373 Million Baht
Chen Zhi, a 37‑year‑old Chinese national with Cambodian and British citizenship, serves as an adviser to the Hun family and is chairman of Prince Holding Group (Prince Group) in Cambodia.
In October, the United Kingdom and the United States imposed financial sanctions on him and seized assets worth more than 4.88 million pounds. Authorities accuse him and his business empire of being part of one of the largest transnational crime organisations in Asia.
Chen Zhi and Prince Group deny any direct involvement in crime and reject the US allegations. US authorities, however, say they have evidence that Prince Group operated scam compounds where people were detained against their will and forced to run scams.
Victims were allegedly tricked into investing in cryptocurrency through “pig‑butchering” schemes, which generated billions of US dollars from people in the US and around the world.
AMLO Action in Thailand
Thepsu said the AMLO transaction committee ordered the seizure of 102 items of property in Thailand linked to Chen Zhi.
These include land, cash, branded goods, and jewellery, valued at roughly 373 million baht. Authorities believe Chen Zhi used Prince Group companies to launder money via digital currencies.
AMLO now has 90 days to compile the case file and send it to prosecutors, who will then ask the Civil Court to approve permanent confiscation.
“Since these assets come from online scams, AMLO will publish a notice to protect the rights of victims,” Thepsu said. Victims will have 90 days to file claims.
AMLO will prepare a list of recognised victims, sell the seized assets, and distribute the proceeds among them.
Prime Minister Anutin has ordered state agencies to treat online crime as a priority and promised full government support so that investigations can continue and expand.
“Some of them like to say ‘catch me if you can’,” Anutin said. “Our answer is ‘I can always catch you’.”
He urged the public to understand that “we will never stop these operations; we do this for our country and for our people”.
Capt Thammanat Must Step Down
Rangsiman Rome, an MP from the People’s Party and chair of the House Committee on National Security, Border Affairs, National Strategy and Reform, has raised fresh concerns about links between Ben Smith and Thai politicians.
He said Ben Smith has connections with Capt Thammanat Prompao and former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Recently, Ben Smith gave power of attorney to Thanadon Suwannarit, an adviser to Thammanat, to act as his lawyer. Thanadon filed a defamation lawsuit against Rangsiman, demanding 100 million baht in damages.
The case stems from Rangsiman’s speech in the 30 September policy debate, where he referred to Smith’s alleged role in scam gangs and international money laundering networks.
Rangsiman wrote on Facebook that Thanadon’s involvement confirms the link between Thammanat and Smith.
“Mr Thanadon, who is an adviser to Capt Thammanat, helped confirm that relationship,” he posted. “He said Ben Smith has done business with several Thai politicians. The fact that Thanadon handled the lawsuit for Ben Smith on Thammanat’s recommendation makes the real nature of their relationship even more questionable.”
Thanadon is no longer Smith’s lawyer. He left that role after being appointed as a political official at the Prime Minister’s Office in early November.
Rangsiman argues that Ben Smith’s case is not just about scam operations, but also about “grey capital” that threatens Thailand.
He insists that Anutin should dismiss Thammanat from his roles as Deputy Prime Minister and Agriculture Minister, even though the government has already started freezing assets linked to the networks.
“He should leave his posts first so that the process of finding the truth is transparent and free of doubt,” Rangsiman said, pointing to Worapark’s earlier resignation as a model.
He also mentioned Thammanat’s pattern of suing citizens and journalists and said there is no good reason for the prime minister to keep Thammanat in the cabinet.
Source: BBC
