77 million baht seized property returned to accused lawyer and wife
Thailand’s Civil Court ordered the return of assets worth about 77 million baht to a prominent lawyer after he and his wife were accused and jailed over alleged fraud against a Thai millionaire living in France.
The complainant, Jatuporn “Oil” Ubonlert, travelled from France to Thailand to take legal action against lawyer Sittha “Tum” Biabangkerd, accusing him of swindling several million baht from her.
Jatuporn said she initially hired Sittha to handle her legal matters and paid him 300,000 baht per month. Sittha later invited her to invest in a lottery-selling platform in Thailand, and she agreed. She transferred about 71 million baht to Sittha for the investment.
Jatuporn stated that there was no progress in the business, so she demanded her money back but Sittha refused to refund her. She suspected the money was used to fund Sittha’s lifestyle, including a luxury house, cars and designer-brand items.
Sittha denied wrongdoing, saying Jatuporn gave him the money willingly as a gift. He also claimed she helped support his children’s education overseas.
Despite his denial, Sittha and his wife, Patidta Biabangkerd, were arrested in Chachoengsao province in November 2024 on accusations of fraud and money laundering. The pair were later imprisoned while the investigation and court proceedings continued.
The Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) later seized assets worth about 77 million baht from Sittha and Patidta. The seized items included a house, a plot of land, the couple’s savings, luxury watches, cars and several designer-brand products.
AMLO later submitted the case to prosecutors to seek a Civil Court order to forfeit the assets to the state. However, the court issued a ruling yesterday, February 24, rejecting AMLO’s request and ordering the assets returned to Sittha and his wife.
The court said the alleged fraud and money laundering by the couple were not supported by concrete evidence.
After the ruling, Jatuporn told media she was concerned about the assets being returned and said she would instruct her lawyer to continue with further legal action.
Channel 8 reported the public prosecutor can still appeal the ruling within 30 days and may ask for the assets to be frozen while an appeal is considered.
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