A woman who stole more than 250 million baht from her bed-ridden 85-year-old mother was sentenced on Thursday to 20 years in prison.
The Phra Khanong Criminal Court also ordered Mawadee Sriwirat, 56, to return 123 million baht to her mother, Huay Sriwirat.
Prosecutors filed the case in 2019 against Mawadee and four Kasikornbank employees for theft and forgery, causing damages of more than 250 million baht.
The plaintiff’s lawyer, Jatuporn Chanasit, told reporters that the authorisation for withdrawing money from her bank account required only her signature.
But, in 2014, the plaintiff was admitted to hospital with coronary artery disease. Her daughter then conspired with the four bank employees to change the authorisation for withdrawing money from two accounts from her mother’s signature to a fingerprint, he said.
A total of 253 million baht was then taken out through hundreds of withdrawals.
The court found Mawadee guilty on 84 counts for forgery, using forged documents and theft. One of the bank employees was sentenced to 2 years in jail without suspension, while the three others were acquitted.
A source said Ms Huay had also filed a civil lawsuit in the Phra Khanong Civil Court against her daughter, Kasikornbank and the four employees, asking for compensation of 350 million baht. The case is still before the court.
On Nov 1, the Appeal Court upheld a lower court ruling sentencing Mawadee to 12 years in prison for gradually withdrawing some 24 million baht from her mother’s accounts in 2017.