BANGKOK, THAILAND – The Civil Court in Bangkok temporarily froze assets worth about 13.074 billion baht in four major fraud and money laundering cases, sending a clear signal against cross-border scam networks.
Multi-billion baht freeze at the Civil Court
The Civil Court in Bangkok ordered the provisional seizure and freezing of assets in four major scam and investment fraud cases worth around 13.074 billion baht, according to the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO). Judges found sufficient grounds, based on investigative files submitted by prosecutors, that the assets were linked to suspected criminal offences.
They also ruled there was a risk the property could be transferred, sold or concealed. The measures were therefore imposed on a temporary basis to secure the assets while investigations continued.
Role of AMLO and decision-making bodies
On 27 February 2026, AMLO deputy secretary-general and spokesperson Witthaya Neetitham confirmed that the competent Transaction Committee had taken a key decision on the cases on 11 February 2026 in meeting No. 2/2026. The committee examined applications from affected parties who sought to lift earlier provisional seizures.
However, it found no sufficient grounds to assume that the assets were unrelated to the alleged offences. The files were therefore referred to the Office of the Attorney General for further action.
Referral to prosecutors and court orders
On 17 February 2026, AMLO secretary-general Thepsu Bavorchotidara instructed his agency to forward the case files to the Special Criminal Litigation Department at the Office of the Attorney General. The clear objective was to seek court orders to transfer the seized property into state ownership.
On this basis, prosecutors filed petitions with the Civil Court. After reviewing the investigative material, the court concluded that provisional seizure under Section 55 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act B.E. 2542 (1999) was necessary, and ordered that the measures remain in force until further notice.
The mega case involving Tangthai and Ben Smith
The largest case by far was registered as Black Case No. F 31/2569 and concerned a network around Tangthai, also known as Yim Leak, Wirinya, Ben Smith, Kattriya and other associates. On 26 February 2026, the court ordered the freezing of assets amounting to about 12.123 billion baht.
Benjamin Mauerberger, a controversial financier from South Africa who operates under the name Ben Smith, was directly affected by the far-reaching security measures. They formed part of an expanding criminal investigation into financial flows allegedly directed towards Cambodia-based scam syndicates.
Cases involving Chen Zhi, Kok An and Uea-angkun
Another complex involved Cambodian businessman Chen Zhi and partners, whose case was registered as Black Case No. F 25/2569. After his arrest in Cambodia in January, he was deported to China in chains, and on 25 February 2026 the court ordered the provisional seizure of assets worth about 345 million baht.
Also on 25 February 2026, the court froze approximately 560 million baht in assets in the case of Kok An and other parties under Black Case No. F 29/2569. In the Uea-angkun case, under Black Case No. F 20/2569, about 46 million baht had already been blocked on 24 February 2026, bringing the total across all four decisions to around 13.074 billion baht.
Administration and possible disposal of assets
Under the Anti-Money Laundering Act, the AMLO secretary-general was responsible for implementing the seizures in practice. He had to secure the assets and duly inform the affected parties.
If certain assets were unsuitable for safe storage or caused disproportionate costs, the secretary-general could, under Section 57 paragraph 2, order items such as vehicles or yachts to be auctioned. The proceeds would then be held in trust in place of the original property.
Compensation of possible victims and next steps
According to the spokesperson, AMLO also took into account the situation of potential victims of the predicate offences. The office would collect evidence on identified victims in line with legal requirements and forward the cases to the prosecutors.
Prosecutors could then ask the court to return seized funds or assets to victims, or to award compensation from the frozen property instead of transferring it definitively to the state. The roughly 13.074 billion baht would in the meantime remain under court control, with the extensive but provisional measures marking a crucial procedural step in the ongoing investigations.