Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said today that he knows Benjamin Mauerberger, also known as Ben Smith, but that he is not close to him.
He made the remark in response to a reporter’s question after a group picture surfaced showing him with the South African businessman and several other well-known figures, including General Apirat Kongsompong, Ekniti Nitithanprapas and Sarath Ratanavadi, CEO of Gulf Energy.
The controversial photo was posted on social media and went viral today, one day after the prime minister chaired a press conference to announce the results of a joint operation by the police and the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) to crack down on Thai networks linked to Cambodia-based scam syndicates.
The prime minister said the picture was taken in Singapore about a decade ago during a social function, and that it was the first time he met Mauerberger. He added that they have met five or six times since, also at social events.
Asked whether he knew who released the picture and whether its release was politically motivated, he said he did, adding that he believes reporters also know.
He then asked reporters whether they had ever wondered why he did not approve Mauerberger’s application for Thai citizenship.
When another reporter asked whether Mauerberger is “untouchable,” he replied, “You know me little,” before walking away to attend a meeting.
According to the police, 29 out of 42 suspects alleged to be associated with networks linked to the Cambodian scam syndicates were detained in nationwide raids on Tuesday.
They have been initially charged with criminal association, defrauding the public and money laundering.
Assets worth about 10 billion baht were impounded by AMLO, including 5.8 billion baht in Bangchak Corporation shares held in the name of Alpha Chartered Energy Company on behalf of the Thai wife of alleged Cambodian scam kingpin Yim Leak.
Other seized property includes an 800-million-baht yacht in the names of Yim Leak’s Thai wife and Mauerberger’s Thai wife and children.
