The Criminal Court on Thursday acquitted actress Savika “Pinky” Chaiyadej, her mother and her elder brother in the high-profile Forex-3D investment fraud case, while sentencing Forex-3D founder Apiruk Kothi and four other defendants to lengthy prison terms.
The ruling was handed down in the investment fraud case brought by prosecutors from the Department of Special Investigation’s (DSI) Office of Special Litigation 4.
In the lawsuit, prosecutors had charged Apiruk, one of the alleged masterminds behind the Forex-3D scheme; actress Savika, known as Pinky; her mother, Sarinya Chaiyadej; her elder brother, Kittichet (also known as Sarayut) Chaiyadej; and 20 other defendants.
The 24 defendants were accused of jointly operating a public fraud scheme through fundraising activities and violating the Computer Crime Act.
The high-profile case stemmed from the defendants’ alleged solicitation of victims to invest in Forex-3D, which resulted in thousands of people suffering losses. Total damages were estimated at more than 2 billion baht.
The court acquitted the 40-year-old actress along with her mother and brother.
However, Apiruk and four other defendants were each sentenced to 49,110 years in prison for the fraud. The court also ordered the five defendants to pay 4.911 billion baht in compensation.
On Jan 31, 2023, the actress, who is of mixed Chinese, English, Indian, Mon, Pakistani and Thai heritage, won approval from the Criminal Court to remove an electronic monitoring (EM) device she was required to wear after her release from jail on Nov 30, 2022.
The Forex-3D scheme had never been authorised to operate by the Bank of Thailand (BoT), and many victims said they were persuaded by the perceived credibility of celebrities, including Savika, and influential figures associated with the venture.
Funds collected from new investors were used to pay existing investors, who continued to receive dividends only as long as new investment kept flowing.
