The Narongdej family, led by siblings Kris and Korn Narongdej, together with their family lawyer on Friday provided important evidence they said dispelled all previous speculation and proved that the signature of their father Kasem had been forged, a family statement said.
The attorney-general prosecuted Nop Narongdej (Mr Kasem's middle son) together with Khunying Kokeaw Boonyachinda (Mr Nop's mother-in-law) for forging several documents and using forged documents in a case that was brought to the Southern Bangkok Criminal Court (case number 1708/2564) in 2021.
Mr Nop claimed that his father was the nominee for Khunying Kokaew for purchasing and transferring the shares of Wind Energy Holding (WEH) — one of Thailand's largest wind farm operators — to Golden Music Company, a one-dollar holding company registered in Hong Kong.
The case involving the Narongdej family is related to a broader legal dispute that played out in a British court.
The court in London ruled in August this year in favour of Thai businessman Nopporn Suppipat, who fled the country after facing a lese-majeste charge in 2014, in a case in which he said he was cheated out of billions of baht in the sale of shares in his company.
The judgement called on Nop Narongdej and 13 co-defendants to pay $900 million in compensation in connection with the sale of shares in Wind Energy Holding.
The ruling was issued by the Commercial Court, a branch of the Business and Property Courts of England and Wales. The full text of the ruling can be read here.
In recent years, the Narongdej family said, a lot of speculation has circulated since Mr Kasem and his family first publicly announced that all his signatures had been forged in order to transfer Mr Kasem's shares to Khunying Kokaew.
Mr Kasem's signatures have since been verified and proved by two main official government agencies — namely the Criminal Evidence Division of Royal Thai Police and the Institute of Forensic Science under the Ministry of Justice. The results of inspections from both institutions confirmed that the signatures were forged.
On Sept 28, the Southern Bangkok Criminal Court ruled that the signatures on five documents were forged: the Sale Purchase Agreement (SPA) of Wind Energy Holding (WEH) between Mr Kasem and KPN Energy Thailand Co.Ltd; an Agency Agreement stating that Mr Kasem was the nominee for Khunying Kokaew in purchasing WEH shares; and an Instrument of Transfer stating that Mr Kasem transferred Golden Music Limited shares to Khunying Kokaew.
The other documents were a Bought and Sold Note stating that Mr Kasem sold Golden Music Limited shares to Khunying Kokeaw and a Declaration of Trust stating that Mr Kasem acknowledged that Golden Music Limited shares and any benefits derived from such shares belonged to Khunying Kokaew.
Picha Pomkai, the Narongdej family's lawyer, said the main purpose of Friday's statement from the Narongdej family was to tell the truth and prove that the family firmly believes in conducting their business ethically. His sons said that Mr Kasem would never have agreed to be a nominee for Khunying Kokeaw. The family also stressed that all family-affiliated businesses are managed solely by Mr Kris and Mr Korn. Asked how much damage was inflicted on the business, Mr Kris said it was innumerable as the one who felt hurt the most was his father.