Goodness Foundation treasurer denies personal gain from B36m transfers

A treasurer and member of the Goodness Foundation, chaired by former Miss Thailand Panadda “Boom” Wongphudee accused of public fraud and money-laundering, has clarified  transfers totalling 36 million baht from the foundation's accounts to himself, insisting the money was used to support the foundation's missions.

Apiwut Pumpa, known as "Ar-ngoon", accompanied by his lawyer, Akhom Khongsawat, reported to investigators at the Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD) at the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) headquarters at about 9am on Friday in response to a summons.

He was asked to clarify financial transactions involving more than 36 million baht transferred from the foundation to his personal account.

Mr Apiwut said he had arranged to meet investigators to provide information and submit documents relating to the transactions under his responsibility. All foundation committee members gave statements to police on Thursday.

He said he was not worried, as he could explain how every baht had been spent. The 36 million baht was not transferred in a single lump sum but in instalments of about 50,000 to 1 million baht, depending on the needs of each activity, according to the treasurer. The transfers covered relief missions from late 2024 to the present.

After each mission, expenses were summarised and submitted to Ms Panadda, actress and chairwoman of the foundation, he said.

The money was used to cover expenses for volunteers and foundation staff working in the field, including vehicle and boat repairs, equipment maintenance, diving gear, footwear, operational uniforms and the foundation's electricity and water bills.

He said receipts were available for every expense and insisted that none of the transferred money had been diverted to his personal use or used for unrelated transactions.

As for his personal assets, he said police could compare his financial position before he began handling the foundation's accounts in late 2024 with his current holdings. He added that he had regularly live-streamed online sales of dried orange snacks, saying investigators should already have access to his financial records.

The treasurer said he and his team had never received salaries. When they fell ill, Ms Panadda would cover their medical expenses, usually amounting to more than 10,000 baht per occasion, using a central fund. He said Ms Panadda had told them the money came from her acting fees and brand presenter work.

He admitted he was deeply upset by the controversy, adding that his past experiences working alongside Panadda had given him no reason to suspect wrongdoing.

"I find it hard to accept what has happened now that the news has broken. I keep thinking about the times she worked alongside us in the field. We slept at temples and schools, and she ate the same food as the team. Nothing suggested that she was putting on an act. But now I find myself wondering how much I really knew about her," Apiwut said.

He added that Ms Panadda had repeatedly urged staff to work to the best of their ability and protect the reputation of both her and the foundation.

He quoted her as saying that building the foundation's reputation had taken a long time and warned them not to do anything that could draw criticism. As a result, the team had assumed that Panadda was properly managing the foundation's finances.

He said he had never asked how much money the foundation received, as Ms Panadda regularly told them that the funds came from her product presenter work  and she often reiterated that she was fully committed to supporting the foundation and helping people.

Apiwut also said he had never seen the luxury handbags and jewellery reportedly found during recent searches of her condominium units , adding that Panadda had never shown them off to the team. He said he was surprised to learn that she had purchased such items.

He was also shocked by recent reports and images showing donated goods allegedly abandoned by the foundation, saying he was distressed and wanted to know how the items had ended up in such a state.

Mr Akhom said police had summoned Apiwut to clarify the transactions because the 36 million baht had passed through his account in about 288 transfers between 2024 and 2026.

He said every transaction could be explained and that the two boxes of documents brought to investigators on Friday contained expense receipts covering 2024 to early 2025. The remaining documents would be submitted to police later, said the lawyer.

Ms Panadda, 50, who was Miss Thailand in 2000, and her husband Atip Anantawan, 53, who was Mr Universe 2006, were charged with public fraud, money laundering and computer crime in their campaigning for donations to her Goodness Foundation. More than 800 million baht was reportedly raised. 

Police investigators allege most of the money was abused for personal benefit, not for flood and disaster relief as touted.

The couple were arrested on Nov 6 and remanded in custody. Panadda was detained at the Central Women’s Correctional Institution and Atip was sent to the Bangkok Reman Prison.