A 200-million-baht penthouse belonging to the husband of actress Yadthip Ratchapal has been confiscated for being linked to the Forex-3D Ponzi scheme, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) said.
Pol Maj Suriya Singhakamol, acting DSI chief, said the asset was frozen by investigators after they found it was bought using money raised in the Ponzi scheme.
He said the DSI examined the penthouse in late 2020 and sent a letter to land officials in Phra Khanong district asking them to freeze the asset. However, the officials did not take action because the property was not held under the name of Apirak Kothi, the suspected founder of Forex-3D, which allegedly cost victims 2.4 billion baht in losses.
The DSI later forwarded its investigation report to the Anti Money Laundering Office (Amlo), which then launched the probe and decided to confiscate the asset, said Pol Maj Suriya.
A source close to the case said the penthouse had been confiscated since late 2020, and its value of 245 million baht is based on a price on the consignment agreement.
Mr Apirak made an agreement with the actress' husband to transfer the ownership of the unit to the latter once the consignment period ended, the source said.
The public became aware of the asset after former massage parlour tycoon Chuvit Kamolvisit posted on his Facebook page on Thursday detailing celebrities who were allegedly involved in online gambling networks. He only disclosed their initials, which were later linked to the couple.
On Thursday, Yadthip declined to comment on the confiscation. Earlier, she insisted her husband was not involved in the Forex-3D scam.
An Amlo source declined to comment if the actress' husband has been charged, noting it cannot be discussed as the suspects in the Forex-3D Ponzi scheme case are still on trial.
One of the 24 defendants in the case is actress Savika "Pinky" Chaiyadej.
