Police question iCon CEO, celebs

Police on Saturday questioned Warathaphon “Boss Paul” Waratyaworrakul, CEO of The iCon Group, who has denied overseeing a pyramid scheme and pledged to help the hundreds of people who have filed fraud complaints about the online sales company.
Mr Warathaphon, accompanied by his lawyer, reported to officers at the Consumer Protection Police Division (CPPD) who are seeking a warrant to arrest him on fraud charges.
The Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo), meanwhile, said it was looking into the possibility of freezing the company’s assets pending the outcome of police investigations.
Mr Warathaphon, 41, said he was saddened upon learning that a number of people had suffered losses from investing in the company’s direct sales business. He also admitted that he should have addressed their problems earlier.
In order to help these people, he said, he intended to find someone who is trusted by the public to coordinate the operation of a centre that the company is setting up to offer help and compensation.
He described the move as a humanitarian and socially responsible thing to do, while insisting his direct sales business is totally clean and accountable.
“I protest my innocence throughout the past six years during which I have been building this business,” Mr Warathaphon told reporters. “And I don’t think selling products online this way is ever considered illegal. Several other companies are doing the same.”
He declined to say whether the celebrities seen as being deeply involved in the business activities of iCon are also executives of the company as some critics have claimed.
He said he had explained the company’s operations to the police in detail and would rather not disclose the information in public.
Asked if he thought the heavy losses reported to the police by the damaged parties were his company’s fault, he said that was something that must be proved with evidence.
He also dismissed news that he had previously reached a deal with lawyer Sittra Biabungkerd to fully compensate a number of clients the lawyer said he is representing. He said he didn’t know Mr Sittra and had not talked to him as the lawyer claimed.
The iCon Group attracted many people by offering online marketing courses costing less than 100 baht. But once they enrolled, participants said they were asked to spend much larger sums buying health supplement products to sell. After that, they were asked to pay for online advertisements to recruit new members, for which they could earn fees.
The number of people filing fraud complaints with police had reached 488 as of Saturday, with losses of 178 million baht, said Pol Maj Gen Sophon Sarapat, deputy chief of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), which oversees the consumer protection police.
Mr Warathaphon was not charged and was allowed to go home after being questioned, although accounts of how the business operated appeared to fit the definition of public fraud, said Pol Maj Gen Sophon.
Thephasu Bowonchotidara, secretary-general of the Amlo, confirmed that police had asked it to look into the transactions and assets of The iCon Group. Amlo investigators have already notified the banks concerned, he said.
If the initial evidence clearly points to fraud, a suspect’s assets can be seized to prevent them from being siphoned off or shifted pending the outcome of investigations, said Wittya Neetitham, an Amlo spokesman.
In another development, Kan Kantathavorn, a well-known TV host and actor who was identified as the marketing director of The iCon Group, claimed he was only hired to do public relations for the company under a contract that he has already terminated.
He also said he had checked to ensure that every product he was hired to review was legally registered and safe for consumers to use before he actually reviewed it for the audience.
Yuranunt “Sam” Pamornmontri and Pechaya “Min” Wattanamontree, two other celebrities linked to the company, were also seen reporting to CPPD investigators on Saturday.
Earlier in the morning, police raided nine locations linked to The iCon Group in Bangkok and surrounding provinces in search of more evidence, said an informed source.
The Medical Council of Thailand, meanwhile, said it could lodge a police complaint against Tananont Hiranchaiwan, another iCon executive, who always presented himself in public as being a certified medical doctor. He holds a degree in medical sciences but lost his medical licence six years ago, it said.