Brokerage executive charged with alleged involvement in forex trading racket

An executive of a brokerage company has taken into police custody on charges of defrauding the public, money laundering and violations of the Computer Crime Act, allegedly in connection with forex trading fraud linked to People’s party MP Pawoot Pongvitayapanu.

The suspect, only identified as ‘Mallika’, was booked today by officials of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) at Rama 9 Hospital, to which she had been admitted for the treatment of unspecified ailments. She was, however, taken to the DSI head office for questioning.

DSI officials said that Mallika’s brokerage firm is one of four accused by the DSI of being a channel through which investment money from the forex investors was transferred for temporary holding, before onward transfer, to avoid detection.

Yesterday, a suspect identified as ‘Thiraphong’ and allegedly one of the ‘introduction brokers’ responsible for persuading potential investors to attend a training course on forex trading and then to invest in actual trading, was arrested by immigration officers on arrival at Suvarnabhumi international airport from Dubai.

The DSI had applied for arrest warrants from the Criminal Court for about 30 people, including Pawoot, all of whom are alleged to have been involved in forex trading fraud, but the court rejected all but two of the applications on the basis that most of them have permanent residence in the kingdom and could be summoned by the DSI for questioning as required, without needing to detain them.