The Attorney-General’s Special Case Office has decided to indict Dr. Boon Vanasin, former chairman and founder of the Thonburi Healthcare Group, and 15 associates on charges of defrauding the public and violations of the lending law.
The other accused have only been publically identified as ‘Chidapha’, ‘Sivimon’, ‘Charuwan’, ‘Nalin’, ‘Atchima’, ‘Park’, ‘Patranit’, ‘Thanapoom’, ‘Navara’, ‘Masrudee’, ‘Netiwat’, ‘Naiyakorn’, ‘Kotchaporn’, ‘Thitiporn’ and ‘Chanya’.
All except Boon, Kotchaporn and Thitiporn are to appear before the Criminal Court today to be formally indicted. The three others are still at large and they are being sought by the police.
Boon posted advertisements on social media on February 2, 3 and 4 in 2023, announcing that his Thonburi Healthcare Group had plans for five expansion projects in Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.
These included:
· A cancer centre in Pinklao area of Bangkok, worth about 4 billion baht.
· An elderly wellness centre in Bangkok’s Rama 3 area, estimated at 5 billion baht.
· Three hospitals in Laos, with two in Vientiane and one in Champasak.
· A joint venture project to build a hospital in Vietnam, estimated at 5 billion baht.
· A medical intelligence facility, estimated at about 100 million baht.
Many businessmen and medical professionals fell for the publicity and invested in the projects, by lending money with individual contracts signed by Boon, accompanied by letters of guarantee. Post-dated cheques, plus interest, were issued to each investor, to apparently ensure that they would be refunded.
All the cheques bounced, prompting investors to file complaints with Huai Khwang police. Total damages are estimated at about 16 billion baht.
