Mgronline reported on October 16 that Akaradej Pimonsri, Assistant Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police as the head of the investigation team of The iCon Group, confirmed that the court has approved 18 arrest warrants, including two stars Sam Yuranunt Pamornmontri, Kan Kantathavorn and top actress Min Pechaya.

As of 5 p.m. on October 16 (local time), police had arrested a total of 12 people, including Sam Yuranunt, Min Pechaya, and the head of The iCon Group, according to Prachachat. They are preparing to be taken to the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB).

Image of Sam Yuranunt Pamornmontri being arrested on October 16. Photo: CIB.

Paul Waratphon Waratvorakul, CEO of The iCon Group, was arrested while he was giving an explanation at the Office of the Consumer Protection Board. Paul Waratphon Waratvorakul was then detained for questioning at the Crime Suppression Division.

According to Khaosod , actor Sam Yuranunt said he holds the position of Chief Research Officer (CRO), Director of Product Research and Development at The iCon Group. His job is to introduce different products and guide investors on how to use the products but has no decision-making power.

On October 12, Thairath newspaper reported that a series of Thai A-list stars were involved in a case related to The iCon Group. This is a corporation that sells beauty and health care products but follows a multi-level marketing model. Many people complained about being marketed to import goods from this corporation for resale. However, these people could not sell the goods, leading to backlog and heavy losses. The corporation invited many famous stars to cooperate to increase its reputation. Thai police said this was a serious case.

Khaosod reported that by the afternoon of October 16, more than 740 people had filed complaints, with the total damage amounting to more than 266 million baht (more than 8 million USD ).

Min Peechaya burst into tears at the press conference. Photo: Khaosod.

At the press conference held on the afternoon of October 12, Min Peechaya burst into tears and apologized to the victims. The actress is the communications director of this group and is called “boss” by many employees. Explaining why she is called “boss”, Min affirmed that it is just a way of expressing respect. Min added that according to the contract, she was invited to be a communications representative with a not-so-high salary. She affirmed that she did not know the work and operations of the group.

Min Pechaya, born in 1989, is a top star in Thailand. She has participated in dozens of famous films such as Nang Thip, Pin Anong, Imported Bride, Spicy Couple … The actress is currently airing Canh Gambling Love and it is very possible that the project will be affected by the above incident.

Several other famous artists are also associated with this group, such as Boy Pakorn Chatborirak, Weir Sukollawat Kanarot, Pong Nawat, PP Krit Amnuaydechkorn… However, these people only signed contracts to advertise products and did not hold positions like the three stars mentioned above. Most of them have terminated their contracts with the group for quite a long time.