CSD seeks to deny bail for lawyer, wife in 71m baht embezzlement case

Crime Suppression Division investigators said they will call on the Criminal Court to reject any bail applications filed by the famous lawyer Sittra Biabungkerd and his wife, Pathitta.

The duo were arrested in Chachoengsao at noon on Thursday while driving their Porsche Cayenne car apparently to Sa Kaew to cross over to Cambodia.

Police found luggage and camping gear inside the car.

The couple was brought to the CSD head office in Bangkok at 1.45pm, and on the way, neither answered any questions posed to them by reporters. Sittha’s face looked emotionless, while his wife kept hers concealed with a flu mask and sunglasses.

Pol Maj-General Suwat Saengnoom, deputy chief of the Central Investigation Bureau, told reporters that both husband and wife have denied all charges.

They were arrested after the Criminal Court approved arrest warrants against them over charges of fraud and money laundering.

Suwat said CSD investigators were still interrogating the couple as of press time, and have decided to oppose their temporary release when the duo are presented to court to approve temporary detention pending further investigation.

The CSD obtained the arrest warrants after they interrogated Sittra’s former client, Jatuporn “Jeh Oy” Ubollert, for four days.

Jatuporn filed complaints with the CSD against Sittha, saying he:

• Deceived her into paying 71 million baht to invest in an online lottery platform
• Deceived her into paying his relatives 39 million baht as reimbursement for what they claimed was the cost of bitcoins allegedly transferred to a Chinese entertainer in payment for a meeting with Jatuporn
• Charged 1.5 million baht above the market price for a Mercedes Benz SUV she told Sittha to purchase
• Charged almost three times more for hotel design. She reportedly paid 9 million baht for a job that actually cost 3.5 million baht.