Bangkok: Cyber police have arrested two company presidents who used surrogate companies and company accounts to conceal financial transactions in order to launder money obtained from online gambling websites. Today, cyber police, armed with an arrest warrant from the Criminal Court, apprehended Mr. Phitsanu, 43, in the Khlong San district of Bangkok. Mr. Pichayapha, 27, surrendered to the cyber police. They are charged with 'jointly organizing or facilitating gambling, or directly or indirectly advertising or enticing others to participate in gambling via electronic media without permission from an official' and 'conspiring with two or more people to commit money laundering, and having committed money laundering as a result of that conspiracy.'
According to Thai News Agency, investigators discovered a gambling website called "lalikabet168e" with over 10,000 members, operating for more than two years with a total monthly turnover exceeding 100 million baht. The site offered access to various online gambling options including lottery, slots, international football betting, baccarat, and other types of gambling.
There are two bank accounts for transferring funds to play online gambling: one account belonging to the company with Mr. Phitsanu as president, and another account with Ms. Pichayapha as president. An investigation into the financial transactions revealed that both companies used corporate bank accounts to conceal financial transactions. These companies were not actually conducting any business as registered, but were registered solely to open bank accounts for laundering money obtained from their online gambling websites. Initially, both suspects confessed to the crime and were subsequently taken into custody to face legal proceedings.