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 laundry.

Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) authorities arrested the 50-year-old actress outside her residence at 6.30am in Bueng Kum district, 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, was still in her house with her lawyer since the issuance of the warrants.

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

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.

While being escorted to the CIB by Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD) 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 Jaruprat, ECD commander, said Ms Panadda faces three charges: colluding to defraud the public, conspiring with two or more people to commit money laundering, and jointly entering false information into a computer system through dishonest or deceptive means.

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

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

Officers escort actress Panadda “Boom” Wongphudee, chairwoman of the Goodness Foundation, 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)