After 21 years, court winds up multi-million-baht swindle case

[webfact]

After 21 years, court winds up multi-million-baht swindle case
Kesinee Taengkhieo
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- AFTER more than two decades, the 1994 Blissher holiday time-sharing case - in which 24,189 people were swindled out of Bt826.26 million - has finally concluded.

The Supreme Court yesterday dismissed appeals by two executives, for whom the court also issued arrest warrants because they failed again to show up to hear the final judgement. As a result, legal execution will be according to the Appeal Court's ruling which initially jailed the two for 120,945 years each.

However the two convicted executives - identified as former member of the Blissher Inter Group board, Angsunee Pattananithi, and former co-founder Saengthong Sae-kim - would serve only 20 years each, if caught, because Thai law only allows a maximum punishment of 20 years jail for this type of crime.

The final verdict was read in the absence of Angsunee and Saengthong - both of who failed to show up for the previously-slated final verdict reading in October.

The Office of Attorney-General's Economic Crime Division brought this case of public fraud to court in 1994 against five defendants - Blissher Inter Group and its four former executives - Angsunee, former co-founder and shareholder Parachawan Benjamasmongkol, Saengthong and Silom branch manager Annop Kunsawate.

The division claimed the defendants couldn't provide the rewards as promised. The company's promised returns were also of a higher rate than the legal interest rate.

In the lawsuit, the defendants, from July 1991-February 1994, allegedly duped people into investing money in this "time-sharing" business that boasted it would provide members free accommodation at luxurious hotels and resorts for four days a year throughout a 20-year membership period.

They charged members a Bt30,000 plus a Bt2,500 maintenance fee per year for a silver card membership and Bt60,000 plus Bt4,500 for a gold card membership. The members could also become the company's "salespeople" if they paid it a Bt1,500 salesperson fee per year. They could earn a Bt5,000 commission for every new member they brought into the scheme.

The primary court gave Angsunee, Saengthong and Annop a 120,945-year jail term each - while acquitting the firm and Parachawan, finding they weren't involved in the company policy-making. The Court of Appeals in January 2013 upheld the previous ruling, which led to Angsunee and Saengthong's appeals to the Supreme Court.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/After-21-years-court-winds-up-multi-million-baht-s-30273570.html


-- The Nation 2015-11-24

[deckape]

Twenty one years...Jesus wept.

[Misterwhisper]

Why wasn't already an arrest warrant issued in October? Has anyone actually bothered to check whether the two defendants were still in the country after the case has dragged on for a mind-boggling 21 years?

826 million Baht buys a couple of nice villas in Cancun or the British Virgin Islands with plenty of spare change left even if the two shared their loot brotherly.

But then again, I am sure there were a lot more "gray eminences" involved than only these two, and all of them likely partook in the feast without ever having been exposed.

[jacky54]

'if caught' - no chance

[trogers]

That's Justice, with a walking stick. Not a sword and a scales...

Edited November 24, 2015 by trogers

[NongKhaiKid]

Twenty One years ?

Imagine how long if it hadn't been fast tracked !

[jaywalker]

Twenty one years...Jesus wept.

They could have returned the loot in 1997 when the currency collapsed from THB 25 THB - $1 USD then 50 THB - $1 USD, (assuming they weren't holding all that loot at the local BKK bank), and have still been left with $8.26 million USD......each.

Edited November 24, 2015 by jaywalker

[Acharn]

Twenty one years...Jesus wept.

Interesting. I remember a case involving a Crown agency, forget the actual title, which rules on granting royal honors. Some officials were accused of improperly approving honors awards. The case took 25 years to resolve, and then it ended only because the last defendant had died. It looked like one of those cases where the prosecutor really, really didn't want to prosecute but was forced by circumstances. It's rare for the press to mention these cases. In this case I'll bet it was because the plaintiffs, together, have more money and influence than the defendants. Which, of course, is what forced the prosecutor to reluctantly pursue the case from the beginning.

[Artisi]

21 years, there is little need to say much as it is self explanatory.

[sharecropper]

Surely someone in authority, somewhere, must hold their heads in deep shame at these long-running disappeared-defendant stories, and then resolve to improve the legal system and bail process here.

If you are found guilty by a lower court, you are GUILTY. Of course you can appeal, but you should stay locked up.

[whatproblem]

Surely someone in authority, somewhere, must hold their heads in deep shame at these long-running disappeared-defendant stories, and then resolve to improve the legal system and bail process here.

If you are found guilty by a lower court, you are GUILTY. Of course you can appeal, but you should stay locked up.

That would be the case if Thais had morality

[Srikcir]

Appeal Court's ruling initially jailed the two for 120,945 years each

A failed judicial system where swindles gets higher sentences than murder, drug dealing or human trafficking.

If BY LAW imprisonment cannot exceed 20 years, then the Appeals Court judges violated the law with its sentence. Members of the Appeals court should be reprimanded and impeached, even if retrospectfully.

[Sydebolle]

Is it just me or is a jail term of 120,945 years slightly ridiculous? Well, it took them 21 years to accrue this - deafening silence while the culprits were laughing their way to the bank.
The Thai juristic system might be reminded, that this planet called earth, of which Thailand is an - albeit minuscule - part, has reached the 21st century.

[SOTIRIOS]

....what a sham....

[elgordo38]

Time to contact the Guinness book of records on this one. Maybe they did not show up because they have both passed on to the next life. I just killed a cockroach this morning I sincerely hope it was not one of these guys reincarnated. If you come back as a cockroach is that the end of the line?

[bangon04]

"The final verdict was read in the absence of Angsunee and Saengthong - both of who failed to show up for the previously-slated final verdict reading in October."

So the headline should really read:

After 21 years, court winds up multi-million-baht swindle case, despite wasting huge amounts of public money and getting no tangible result.....

[KIWIBATCH]

...this simply has to go into the Guinness Book of Records.............21 years for the court to wind it up..........sentenced to 120,945 years...I am going to email the GBR......I simply have too

[TPI]

Move along there, nothing to see here!!

[springheeled jack]

another farce has come to a close or has it 21 years before the final court case and the villains are still missing if and when they put in an appearance they will have to serve 20 years each .

[DrTuner]

Twenty one years...Jesus wept.

Well they did give them "120,945-year jail term each". Time in Thailand apparently moves much slower.