Former prime minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh on Saturday had his lawyer file a complaint with police accusing a group of conning several victims out of more than 100 million baht in a scam claimed to have been carried out on his behalf.
On behalf of Gen Chavalit, Sukhum Wongprasit, who is a secretary to the former PM, and a lawyer, Somphon Musika, visited Bang Sue police station in Bangkok yesterday requesting the officials there record Gen Chavalit's complaint in a police daily report.
The purpose of the request was for the police to have a record of the complaint in which Gen Chavalit clearly stated that he had nothing to do with this group, consisting of about 10 people, and their scam, Mr Sukhum said.
Mr Somphon said the group not only exploited the name of Gen Chavalit in the scam but the name of the Yongchaiyudh Foundation for Peacemaking and Development headed by the former prime minister. The foundation has 142 branches nationwide.
The group requested donations from people both in Thailand and overseas, claiming to be a close aide or the secretary of Gen Chavalit, Mr Somphon said.
The group occasionally conned civil servants at state organisations, insisting that it could secure a desired work promotion for them if they gave the group a required amount of money, Mr Somphon explained.
The group cost more than 100 million baht in damage to victims who may have falsely believed they were giving money to Gen Chavalit or his foundation, the lawyer said.
He added that he thought this could be an attempt to discredit the former prime minister politically.
Members of the public are advised to check if they receive documents featuring Gen Chavalit's signature or official stamp before giving money to anyone claiming to be him or his representative, Mr Sukhum said.
Those encountering someone claiming to be Gen Chavalit's representative are encouraged to first check with the former prime minister at his mobile phone number, 095-993-5465, he added.
After lodging the complaint, Mr Somphon confirmed with reporters that the officials had received the complaint.
He added that if anyone falsely claims the name of Gen Chavalit or his foundation in such a dishonest way again, the person will face charges for defamation.
