The Civil Court on Friday ordered the confiscation of more than 13 billion baht in assets in four cases linked to scam networks.
The order followed a Feb 17 petition by the Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo).
The largest seizure involves assets worth 12 billion baht belonging to Cambodian businessman Yim Leak, businessman and lobbyist Benjamin Mauerberger, also known as Ben Smith, and three Thai women.
Another forfeiture concerns 345 million baht in assets belonging to the Chinese-Cambodian tycoon Chen Zhi, founder of the US-sanctioned Prince Group, who was extradited from Cambodia to China for prosecution in early January.
The court also ordered the seizure of 560 million baht in assets belonging to Cambodian businessman Kok An and associates, who face charges of participating in a transnational crime syndicate and money laundering, as well as 46 million baht in assets belonging to Eua-angkun Santirakyothin and associates.
Amlo is authorised to dispose of assets deemed unsuitable for storage, such as vehicles or yachts. Proceeds from sales may be retained by the agency or used to compensate victims.
Prosecutor Yaowaluck Nonthakaew said the asset seizures relate to civil proceedings, while the criminal investigation, now overseen by the Central Investigation Bureau, is examining suspected transnational money trails across Southeast Asia.
Yim Leak responds
The Bangkok-based law firm Dentons Pisut issued a statement on behalf of Yim Leak and Veereenyah Yim in response to reports concerning the inquiries and asset-freezing actions by Amlo.
The firm said the family has long operated legitimate businesses in Cambodia and Thailand, with transactions conducted through regulated financial institutions using widely accepted pooled-account mechanisms.
The statement said that under Thai law, primary due diligence obligations rest with financial intermediaries, and that the presence of both lawful and unlawful users within pooled systems does not in itself imply wrongdoing by downstream recipients.
It also referred to what it described as unusual scrutiny involving the couple’s six-year-old son, while reiterating the family’s full cooperation.
The firm cited a prior Amlo action in 2024 in which documentation was reviewed, and assets returned.
Addressing allegations involving a Thai person who was cited as having allegedly deposited or transferred funds in Thailand, which were said to be linked through banking records to Yim Leak, the statement said the deposits formed part of an exchange operator’s internal settlement process.
It said Yim Leak had exchanged US dollars for baht in Cambodia, with corresponding deposits made through the operator’s Thai clearing account on the same day.
The clients denied any association with unrelated individuals named in media reports and said they would cooperate fully with judicial processes to demonstrate the lawful origin and movement of their assets.
