Pattaya-
More than 20 foreign and Thai victims have followed up at the Pattaya City Police Station this morning regarding the case of a Pattaya area bank branch assistant manager causing them to lose significant amounts of money due to alleged fraud and scams.
First, let’s recap our previous coverage of this story:
Multiple foreigners and their wives in Pattaya have filed reports to Pattaya police in February this year accusing a Pattaya area bank branch assistant manager of causing them to lose significant amounts of money due to alleged fraud and scams.
The main bank branch where the assistant manager worked also filed a report to Pattaya police stating that the bank branch assistant manager was jailed in February of this year for allegedly destroying important and proprietary bank documents.
Today, (December 9th), more than 20 foreign and Thai victims with their lawyers met with the new Pattaya City Police Chief Colonel Khunlachart Kunlachai.
One lawyer for the victims introduced to the press as Tom told the Pattaya News, “It has been almost a year of work on this case and attempting to get a financial resolution for the victims of this crime. We have tried repeatedly to contact the bank but have been given no updates or firm resolutions by their corporate office. ”
Before we continue, a video version of this story, for those who prefer, is here:
Colonel Kunlachart said, “I have to review this case again as I am new here. We will set up our special investigations team for this case and will contact the bank too. We promise to use every single law to finish this case and assist in helping the victims get their money back.”
The victims told Colonel Kunlachart, as they did with the prior police chief as described in our previous article about this incident, that the suspect, Mr. Chaiyasit Sappermpoon, who worked at a Central Pattaya bank branch on Central Klang, allegedly tricked them on investments. Some claim to have lost all the money in their bank accounts while some have lost varying amounts. Some claim their entire retirement savings have been put at risk by the suspect.
The alleged fraud was discovered when some alleged victims of the fraud went to different bank branches and had problems with their account books, with bank staff stating that various slips or deposits were forged, outdated or incorrect and did not match their account balances. At this point, the victims informed senior bank management which stated they had started an investigation but that it would take time. The victims began to network with each other after finding out more about the situation and filed police reports.
As stated by Lawyer Tom, it has been closing in on a year, ten months, since the last meetings with Colonel Kunlachart’s predecessor and they have not seen significant progress forward, according to the lawyers for the victims, from either the bank or police on helping the victims regain their lost funds.
The name of the bank involved, notes TPN media, has been officially withheld by the request of investigating officers as the matter is currently still an active investigation, however, Pattaya City Police also have continued to encourage people who believed they were defrauded by Mr. Chaisit Sappermpoon or had him handling their accounts personally to contact them immediately.
