Panadda and husband remanded in custody

Police oppose bail for couple accused of fraud in charity foundation case

Panadda ”Boom” Wongphudee and her husband were remanded in custody on Saturday after making their first appearance at the Criminal Court to answer fraud and money-laundering charges arising from an investigation of the actress’s Goodness Foundation.

Police were seeking an initial 12-day detention period for the couple, saying their investigation remained incomplete. They opposed bail because of concerns that the suspects might flee or interfere with evidence.

Under the law, criminal suspects can be detained for a maximum of seven 12-day periods, or 84 days, before prosecutors must press charges.

Ms Panadda declined to apply for bail and was taken to the Central Women’s Correctional Institution. The court denied the bail application of her husband, Atip “Got” Anantawan, and he was taken to the Bangkok Remand Prison.

Ms Panadda, 50, a former Miss Thailand, faces charges of colluding to defraud the public, inputting false information into a computer system, and conspiring to commit money laundering.

Mr Atip, 53, a real estate investor and fitness professional, faces a charge of conspiring to commit money laundering.

Ms Panadda appeared visibly exhausted as she was escorted by police from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) shortly before 10am on Saturday.

She raised her hands in a traditional Thai gesture of apology and said she was sorry to everyone and accepted responsibility for all the wrongdoing.

She said she had already provided investigators with all the facts and wanted the case to proceed in accordance with the judicial process.

She referred questions about whether she had confessed and whether she was worried about being denied bail to her lawyer.

Her husband smiled but declined to answer questions from reporters before being escorted into a police van.

Ms Panadda was arrested at her house in Bangkok on Friday, while her husband surrendered to authorities.

Their lawyer, Ekkasit “Phet” Srisang, on Saturday praised the CIB and Economic Crime Suppression Division officers for their swift and fair handling of the case.

He said the case had now fully entered the legal process and that any wrongdoing should be dealt with accordingly.

Mr Ekkasit added that Ms Panadda and the legal team would no longer give interviews to the media to avoid interfering with the judicial process and allow the law to take its course transparently.

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Atip “Got” Anantawan, husband of Panadda "Boom" Wongphudee, is escorted to the Criminal Court on Saturday. (Photo supplied/Wassayos Ngamkham)