Pasit, 31, was found guilty of 871 counts of violating the 1984 Decree on Obtaining Loans Amounting to Public Cheating and Fraud and of violating the Food Act 1979 through selling food supplement products with faulty labels. Meanwhile, the food supplement firm WealthEver, the first defendant in the case, was ordered by the court to pay a fine of Bt435.52 million. The Crime Suppression Division (CSD) subsequently issued arrest warrants alleging additional public fraud charges against Pasit’s eight alleged accomplices. Two other defendants in this case – Pasit's close friend and personal secretary Thasdao Samakkasikan, 36, and another woman named Parinthorn Honghiran Dakker, 36 – were also each sentenced to 4,355 years in prison but would also serve only the maximum 20 years. The court also ordered the company, Pasit, Thasdao and Parinthorn to repay a combined Bt51 million to the 871 damaged persons plus a 7.5 per cent annual interest, starting from July 6, 2017 when the lawsuit was filed until the full payment is made.

Source: The Nation Bangkok September 12, 2018 09:45 UTC