Well-known property developer jailed for 44 months for embezzlement

Kris Narongdej, one of the three sibling heirs of the KPN Group, was sentenced to 44 months in prison by the South Bangkok District Court on Wednesday after being convicted of embezzling 35 million baht in rental fees from a plot of land owned by the Narongdej family's businesses.

Kris was sued by his younger brother, Nop Narongdej, for allegedly renting a plot of land and building in Tambon Sisa Jorakhe Yai, Samut Prakan's Bang Sao Thong district, and embezzling rental fees amounting to 35 million baht.

Nop named Kris as the first defendant, CBP Co Ltd as the second defendant, and the board of directors of CBP as the third defendant.

In his lawsuit, Nop stated that the plaintiff’s mother, Khunying Porntip Narongdej, allowed outsiders to rent her plot of land and the buildings on it in Tambon Sisa Jorake Yai in Samut Prakan’s Bang Sao Thong district while she was still alive.

She also let Toll Logistic Co Ltd rent the land and received rental fees. After her death, the first defendant, Kris and Korn Narongdej, took over ownership of the plot on 15 February 2016.

Nop stated in the lawsuit that the first defendant had never compiled a list of the legacy assets and had never shared the rental fees with Nop, even though the plaintiff was entitled to a share as one of the heirs and co-owners of the plot of land. The lawsuit further stated that the plaintiff assigned his lawyer to notify the first defendant to list the assets in the legacy and divide them among the three heirs, but the defendant ignored the request.

Nop alleged in the lawsuit that the first defendant intentionally embezzled the rental fees to which the plaintiff and others were entitled. He claimed that the second and third defendants were aware of the fact but still collaborated with the first defendant to withhold the money from the plaintiff, despite his entitlement to receive it. The lawsuit alleged that the three defendants intended to embezzle rental fees from the plaintiff on multiple occasions, amounting to a total sum of over 35 million baht.

The three brothers have been engaged in lawsuits among themselves over control of the KPN Group's businesses since their mother, the founder of the group, passed away in 2013.

After the court acquitted CBP and its board of directors, it convicted Kris and sentenced him to 44 months in prison for 44 counts of embezzlement.

Kris was released on bail after placing assets worth 400,000 baht as a guarantee.

Kris' lawyer, Picha Pomkhai, insisted that Kris did not embezzle the rental fees, and that the amounts had been credited to a firm. He suggested that the lower court might have misunderstood the situation and stated he would seek to explain the case in higher courts—both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court—when he filed an appeal against the ruling.