A belated update on an alleged scammer who made Thailand home and a base for operations.
It took a while, but the Central Investigation Bureau has recently issued arrest warrants for Ben Smith or Benjamin Mauerberger, and his wife Cattaliya Beevor charges of transnational investment fraud. We assume this is one of several charges that should come.
The Bangkok Post describes Mauerberger as being based in Bangkok for many years, “where he cultivated connections with many prominent business and political figures. Law enforcement authorities also allege that he was a key figure in the laundering of money for Cambodia-based scam networks.”
What was Smith’s response to this first charge? Thai Newsroom reports that Witthayoon Kengngan, Smith’s lawyer, says “his client is not prepared to fight the case because of lack of trust in the judicial system with the swift handling of the case pointing to political motives…”. The lawyer added that the:
allegations made by CIB in issuing the arrest warrants claiming he is a money launderer and scammer were fabricated and intended to be used as a political tool to attack de facto Pheu Thai boss/inmate Thaksin Shinawatra and de facto Klatham boss Thammanat Prompao.
He went further:
The charges stem from a dispute between Ben Smith and a company in Laos with this showing that he is just a businessman or broker not a scammer as stated by Caretake[r] Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Witthayoon said, adding accusation by People’s MP Rangsiman Rome at Parliament accusing his client of being a scamming kingpin do not hold up as this case is not about scamming Thai people or committing illegal acts.
The reference to Rangsiman is significant. For while Smith/ Mauerberger states, via his lawyer, that he lacks trust in the judicial system, he seems to trust it sufficiently to bring a SLAPP case against Rangsiman.
The People’s Party MP had accused Smith/ Mauerberger “in parliament of being a major scammer with ties to Cambodian and Thai politicians.”
To silence Rangsiman, Muerberger is supposedly seeking B100m in damages. The case was recently accepted by the courts, as all of these nasty SLAPPs seem to be.
It seems Muerberger is trusting the judiciary to silence Rangsiman.
Political Prisoners in Thailand 
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