iCon Group lawyer promises help for dealers caught in scam
CEO’s lawyer claims issues stem from miscommunication between agents and poor package choices, says compensation may be hindered by AMLO’S freezing of assets
The iCon Group is looking for ways to ease the suffering of people who have fallen victim to its sales strategy, Withoon Keng-ngan, the lawyer of the company’s CEO Warathaphon “Boss Paul” Waratyaworrakul, said on Wednesday.
The company, which claims to be operating on a direct sales strategy, is suspected of luring hundreds of people into buying products under a pyramid scheme.
The company began making headlines last week when hundreds of police complaints were filed by victims, saying they had been lured into investing in the company’s food supplements, which they were told would be resold quickly.
When they failed to shift the products, the company told them to recruit more dealers to work under them and collect a portion of their “investment”.
Withoon, meanwhile, said the victims will be allowed to seek assistance, though he said the problems were sparked by miscommunication by some company agents and dealers choosing unsuitable packages.
He also said that the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO)’s move to freeze the company’s assets for 90 days would affect the company’s move to ease people’s suffering. However, he said he hopes the company will have access to the cash once the assets are released, but refused to say if the assets had been frozen by AMLO due to irregular transfers.
As for whether legal action will be taken against the celebrities who endorsed the company, he said it would depend very much on the police. He added that he would contact the relatives of the company’s dealers who took their lives allegedly due to the company’s business practices.
As for rumours that an unidentified politician may be involved in the case, he said iCon Group had no political links, adding that former Bangkok gubernatorial candidate Thanet Wongsa had said he was in no way involved with the company.
