THE Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) this evening (Oct. 25) ordered the temporary freezing or seizure of additional assets of the The iCon Group and its executives worth over 144 million baht, with its 18 bosses being held in detention after investors complained to police that they had lost hundreds of thousands and up to millions of baht in investing in its direct sales business, Naewna newspaper said.
As there is evidence indicating that there has been an attempt to transfer, conceal or hide assets, AMLO’s Secretary-General ordered the seizing or freezing of 26 items of stocks, investment units and digital assets as well as 63 items of cash in stock trading accounts, debt instruments and bank deposits for a total of 89 items worth approximately 144,275,765 baht, with temporary interest not exceeding 90 days.
AMLO had earlier taken similar action against this company and its executive three times, on Oct. 15, Oct. 17 and Oct. 18, with the assets seized or frozen totalling approximately 176,044,615 baht.
The value of the seized or frozen assets has now reached approximately 320,320,308 baht.
Earlier in the day Mr. Ekkapop Luengprasert, an adviser to the Interior Minister and founder of Sai Mai Tong Rod (Sai Mai District Must Survive) community Facebook page, apologised to the police and The iCon Group’s lawyer after facing possible lawsuit over submitting fake information on this case, Amarin TV said.
Police have ruled that information given by a witness he had forwarded to them alleging that the company and its executives had transferred large amounts of digital assets is inaccurate and untrue.
Ekkapop insisted that he had good intention to help The iCon Group’s victims in forwarding data to police with many witnesses having come to him to give information about this company.
He urged them to only take legal action against him and not the witnesses.
The Central Investigation Bureau’s Consumer Protection Police Division also said during Oct.10-25 altogether 3,423 victims had been questioned with alleged damage worth over 1.167 billion baht.
The total number of victims who have filed complaints against the company nationwide reached 8,804 with alleged damage totaling over 2.720 billion baht as tallied during Oct. 18-25.
CAPTIONS:
The iCon Group’s executives being taken to prison, above and Front Page, and an image of the company’s founder Mr.Waranthaphon Wratyaworrakul, or Boss Paul, first inset. Photos: Naewna
Second insert: Mr. Ekkapop Luengprasert. Photo: Amarin TV
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