Beauty queen turned charity boss arrested for 'fraud and money laundering'

A glamorous Thai charity boss was arrested over alleged fraud and money laundering involving donations to her foundation. Former beauty queen Panadda Wongphudee, 50, chair of the Ongkorn Thamdee Foundation, was accused of siphoning millions of baht in donations into her personal bank accounts. Police said she had received nearly one billion baht since she began soliciting donations in 2015, claiming the funds would be used for charitable activities. But investigators found that only 20 per cent had been used for the intended purpose. Around 527 million baht (around 11.7 million GBP) was said to have been used for personal benefit, including credit card payments, purchases for designer handbags and jewellery, and construction for pool villas. Pannada was detained at her home in the Narasiri Topiary housing estate in Bangkok on November 6. The Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD) dispatched officers to arrest her at 6:26 am on charges of public fraud, money laundering and violations of the Computer Crime Act. Footage shows Pannada emerging from the sprawling property in a black pantsuit as officers escorted her. Her husband, Atip Anantawan, 53, turned himself in at the Central Investigation Bureau at 8:15 am. He faces a money laundering charge. Both have denied the allegations. Police also raided three other locations, including an observatory in Pathum Thani belonging to Atip. The other locations were the Ongkorn Thamdee Foundation's premises in Pathum Thani, where a new shrine was under construction, and another foundation associated with Atip near their Bangkok residence. Police Major General Thatphum Jaruphat, commander of the Economic Crime Suppression Division, said a probe into the alleged charity scam began last week after donors complained that their contributions had not been used for their intended purposes. He said: 'Investigators found that the suspect had used her public profile, reputation and involvement in social work to solicit donations through Facebook pages.' Police said they were examining donations of around 900 million baht (around 20 million GBP). Investigators claimed just 20 per cent actually reached the charity. Police tracing the money reportedly found that more than 300 million baht had been transferred to Panadda's personal bank account, while another 200 million baht (6.7 million GBP) went into an account belonging to her husband, Atip. The probe has also led to the seizure or freezing of assets belonging to Panadda and her relatives, including her husband, children and parents. The assets, valued at more than 100 million baht (2.2 million GBP), included three or four houses, several plots of land, 22 cars, six firearms and a collection of designer goods. The case has also raised questions about whether it had obtained the necessary permissions to solicit donations from the public. On November 5, Thailand's Department of Provincial Administration announced it had filed a police complaint over the charity's fundraising appeals for flood victims. Officials said they had discovered social media posts directing members of the public to transfer money into a Kasikornbank bank account registered in the foundation's name, despite it lacking the required fundraising permit. Under Thailand's Fundraising Control Act of 1944, organisations must obtain authorisation before collecting money from the public for charitable purposes. Pannada and her husband were remanded in custody for 12 days as police investigate the case. Her arrest marks a dramatic fall from grace after building her image through beauty pageants, television and charity work. She was crowned Miss Thailand in 2000 before becoming an actress and TV presenter. She later became recognised for her humanitarian activities, involving supporting vulnerable women, children and people in need.