DSI submits The Icon Group case file to the prosecutor, recommending prosecution against all 19 suspects on 5 charges, after receiving the case from the police and completing the investigation within the allotted time

DSI submits The Icon Group case file to the prosecutor, recommending prosecution against all 19 suspects on 5 charges, after receiving the case from the police and completing the investigation within the allotted time

          On Monday, December 23, 2024 at the reception room on the 2nd floor of the Rajaburi Direkriddhi Building, Chaeng Watthana Road, Police Major Yutthana Praedam, Director-General of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), Police Captain Wisanu Chimtrakool, Deputy Director-General of the DSI, Police Lieutenant Colonel Anurak Rojananirankit , Director of the Consumer Protection Crime Bureau, along with Police Major Worranan Srilum, Director of the Illegal Financial Business Bureau/DSI Spokesperson, held a press conference. The DSI received the case alleging that The Icon Group Co., Ltd. and its accomplices committed public fraud and offenses under the Computer-related Crime Act from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) to conduct an investigation as a special case no. 119/2567 since October 30, 2024. The DSI has dedicated all its resources to the investigation, working with 7 agencies. This case involves 348,209 pages of documentary evidence, 8,071 witnesses, 7,875 victims, and damages amounting to 1,644 million baht. There are 19 suspects, including 1 juristic person, The Icon Group Co., Ltd., and 18 natural persons, namely Mr. Waratphon or Boss Paul and accomplices. Assets worth 747,640,000 million baht have been seized in a money laundering case, including buildings and land.

          After a meeting last Friday, December 20th, the special case investigators resolved to recommend that the public prosecutor indict all 19 suspects on charges of: (1) "Jointly committing borrowings which are regarded as public fraud (Ponzi scheme)", which is an offense under the Emergency Decree on Borrowings Which are Regarded as Public Cheating and Fraud, B.E. 2527 (1984) and its amendments; (2) "Jointly carrying on direct sale business or direct marketing business in a way that persuades other persons to participate in a direct sale or direct marketing network upon an agreement to give certain benefits calculated from the increasing number of participants in return of finding additional participants to join the network” and (3) “jointly carrying on direct sale business without permission; (4) "Jointly committing public fraud", which are offenses under the Direct Sale and Direct Marketing Act, B.E. 2545 (2002); and (5) "dishonestly or by deceit, jointly bringing into a computer system a computer data which is distorted or fake, whether in whole or in part, or a computer data which is false, in a manner likely to cause loss to the public”, which is likely to cause damage to the public", which is an offense under the Computer-related Crime Act, B.E. 2550 (2007).

          On the same day, the Director-General of the DSI signed a letter submitting the investigation file of the Icon case along with all evidence, assigning Police Captain Wisanu Chimtrakool, Deputy Director-General of the DSI, and Police Major Worranan Srilum, Director of the Illegal Financial Business Bureau, and the investigating officers to deliver 161 boxes containing a total of 348,209 pages of the investigation file to the Department of the Special Litigation for further legal decision. The total investigation time for this case by the DSI was completed in just 54 days.

          Police Major Yutthana Praedam, Director-General of the DSI, was also quoted as saying, "I would like to thank the Office of the Attorney General for assigning public prosecutors to be consultants in the case, the Royal Thai Police, which was the first agency to receive the case and has coordinated well throughout, the Department of Business Development, the Fiscal Policy Office, the Central Institute of Forensic Science, which supported the collection and examination of evidence, and the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) for taking action on assets to be shared among the victims. I would also like to thank all the special case advisors and all DSI officials who have worked together to bring this case to the public prosecutor for legal decision within the timeframe of the law, which is to effectively provide justice to the victims. The money laundering investigation into The Icon Group will continue."

          Such strong collaboration with all sectors is a key policy of Police Major Yutthana Praedam, Director-General of the DSI, to support the policies of the government and the Ministry of Justice in order to build confidence in the prevention, suppression, investigation, and inquiry of cases under its responsibility for sustainable organizational management according to good governance principles.