Actress ‘Boom’ arrested, apologises to public

Panadda "Boom" Wongphudee has sought to apologise to the public after being arrested at her house on Friday as her husband, Atip "Got" Anantawan, surrendered to authorities to fight serious charges, including public fraud and money laundering.

Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) authorities arrested the 50-year-old actress outside her residence at 6.30am in Bueng Kum district of Bangkok.

The arrest followed warrants issued for the couple on Thursday evening, and police waited until daybreak the following day to take action. Ms Panadda, who is a social activist and president of the Goodness Foundation, had been waiting in her house with her lawyer since she learned about the warrants.

CIB officers also searched her residence after the arrest and another team went inside her two foundation offices in Thanya Buri district of Pathum Thani and Bang Khen district in Bangkok, looking for more evidence to substantiate the charges.

Pol Maj Gen Thatphum Jaruprat, the Economic Crime Suppression Division commander, said officers have now searched four locations in Bangkok and vicinity and were collecting all the evidence seized to sort and classify.

Atip Anantawan, Panadda Wongphudee's husband, right, arrives at the Crime Suppression Division to surrender to authorities, a day after arrest warrants were issued for the couple. (Photo supplied/Wassayos Ngamkham)

Mr Atip, who is a real estate investor and fitness professional, arrived at the Crime Suppression Division, a unit under the CIB, to surrender to authorities, a day after the arrest warrants were issued.

While being escorted to the CIB by investigators, Ms Panadda apologised to the public and said she was ready to face the judicial process.

Wearing a black suit and appearing exhausted, Ms Panadda gave a wai, a traditional Thai gesture of apology and told reporters briefly: “I am ready to enter the judicial process, and I would like to apologise to everyone.”

Meanwhile, police have frozen 18 bank accounts containing about 102 million baht belonging to people linked to Ms Panadda and her foundation.

Another 30 accounts have also been frozen. These accounts had received transfers from Ms Panadda's personal accounts and those of the Goodness Foundation, and contained a further 2 million baht.

Other assets have yet to be frozen as investigators were still examining the full extent of the assets involved.

Pol Maj Gen Thatphum said Ms Panadda faces three charges: colluding to defraud the public, conspiring to commit money laundering, and entering false information into a computer system.

Her husband has been charged with a single offence — conspiring to commit money laundering.

Police expected to bring the suspects to the Criminal Court to seek approval to detain them no later than Saturday.

Actress Panadda “Boom” Wongphudee, chairwoman of the Goodness Foundation, listens to a police officer outside her residence in Bueng Kum district of Bangkok on Friday morning as her lawyer looks on. (Photo supplied/Wassayos Ngamkham)

Officers escort actress Panadda Wongphudee to the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) on Friday for further questioning in a fraud and money-laundering case in connection with her foundation. (Photo supplied/Wassayos Ngamkham)