The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has summoned actress Sawika "Pinky" Chaidet, along with her mother Sarinya and brother Sarayut, to hear charges brought against them over their alleged role in a Ponzi scheme.
The trio went to the DSI's headquarters on Wednesday, and met the director of the Bureau of Illegal Financial and Business Crimes, Piyasiri Wattanavarangkul.
They were then charged with colluding to defraud others and disseminating fake information through a computer system. While they acknowledged the charges, Sawika and her family denied any wrongdoing.
The trio were accused of being involved with Forex-3D, a scam run by Apiruk Kothi who allegedly lured thousands of victims into investing in foreign currencies with the promise of high returns. About 9,692 investors were cheated out of 1.9 billion baht in the high-profile Ponzi scheme. Mr Apiruk was arrested on Jan 15, after more than a year on the run.
The permanent secretary for justice, Thanakrit Jitareerat, said the DSI will summon another actor for interrogation. Police were working hard to press charges against many of Mr Apiruk's alleged accomplices.
Mr Apiruk and his accomplices allegedly duped investors by offering high return-of-investment -- often up to 60-80% in foreign currency investments and 100% in capital protected funds. The scam was carried out via the website "www.forex-3D.com" and three Facebook accounts under the names "Apiruk Krub", "Apiruk Kothi" and "Forex-3D".
The DSI has verified more than 8,400 claims from victims of the scheme since the first victim sought help in November 2019.