Finance minister of Thailand resigns after 33 days amid scam allegations
Ex-minister vows legal action against false claims targeting him and his family

The finance minister resigned from his position yesterday, October 22, after 33 days of working due to an accusation of involvement in the call centre scam network based in Cambodia.
The Minister of Finance, Vorapak Tanyawong, who is the former president of Krung Thai Bank, recently joined the government under the lead of the Prime Minister (PM) Anutin Charnvirakul on September 19.
The newly appointed minister recently faced allegations of involvement in the scam network. He was accused of having close ties with a South African national named Benjamin Mauerberger, also known as Ben Smith, and the Cambodian president of BIC Group Yim Leak.
Both Ben Smith and Yim Leak have been listed under US sanctions. Yim Leak is suspected of facilitating scam operations and money laundering through his banking businesses, while Ben Smith has been accused of acting as a coordinator for money laundering, human trafficking, and other illegal activities linked to the scam network.
Recently, Ben Smith publicly denied all allegations, stating that his career was clean and honest. He also filed a defamation lawsuit against People’s Party MP Rangsiman Rome, demanding 100 million baht in compensation.

Despite his denial of the accusations, Vorapak resigned from his post. Following his resignation, the former minister released an official statement to explain his decision and defend himself against the allegations.
Vorapak admitted that he knows Ben Smith, as their children attend the same school. However, he insisted he had no knowledge of Smith’s business dealings or his connection with Yim Leak.
The ex-minister also admitted that he had met Yim Leak in the past but stressed that he had never worked for him or received any benefits from the Cambodian businessman. He further rejected claims that his wife received cryptocurrency payments from the alleged network.

Vorapak strongly denied all allegations, emphasising that he had always maintained transparency and integrity throughout his 30-year career in the financial sector.
The former minister said he had worked tirelessly to drive Thailand’s economic and fiscal policies despite the limited time of the current government. However, he decided to step down to avoid his personal matters becoming a burden or distraction for the administration.
At the end of the conference, he expressed his willingness to cooperate with any investigation and vowed to take legal action against those who had spread false information about him and his family.
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