File photo: Sittra Biabungkerd
Sittra Biabungkerd, an activist lawyer dedicated to helping victims of crime, is now embroiled in a scandal over the alleged cheating of an overseas client out of about 71 million baht invested in an online lottery platform.
Representing the damaged client, identified only as “Jatuporn”, lawyer Pattarapong Supasorn recently lodged a complaint against Sittra with police in the Pak Chong district of Nakhon Ratchasima.
Yesterday, Pattarapong asked Pol Col Veeraphol Rapiabpho, the superintendent of Pak Chong police, to transfer his case to the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), claiming that the bureau is better equipped to deal with it.
Veeraphol reportedly said that the Royal Thai Police have already assigned the case to the CIB.
CIB Deputy Commissioner Pol Maj-Gen Charoonkiat Pankaew, meanwhile, said that he had nothing to do with the transfer of the case and that he bears no personal grudge against Sittra.
Sittra has admitted receiving the 71 million baht (~€2,000,000) from Jatuporn, who lives in France, claiming it was payment of his professional fees, for taking care of her business in Thailand and for the development of an online lottery platform - not as a joint investment.
Speaking on a TV talk show, Sittra claimed that he had been paid about 300,000 baht a month by Jatuporn, as a retainer for his legal services.
Sittra is also accused of demanding seven million baht from iCon Group CEO Waratphol Waratvorakul, but he claimed that the money was intended for distribution to the company’s investors who lost money.
