Court dismisses 2.5m baht iCon laundering case on Sept 25

Bangkok’s Criminal Court acquitted The iCon Group Co Ltd, former chief executive Warathaphon “Boss Paul” Waratyaworrakul, Samart Jenchaijitwanich and Samart’s mother, Wilawan Putthasamrit, on September 25, 2026, in a 2.5 million baht money-laundering case. The court found insufficient evidence that the money came from criminal activity.

Prosecutors from the Office of Special Litigation 1 charged Samart, Wilawan, Warathaphon and The iCon Group, listed as the first to fourth defendants respectively, with jointly laundering money and conspiring to launder money.

Samart is a former president of the Anti-Ponzi Scheme Federation of Thailand and a former deputy spokesman for the Palang Pracharath Party. The Nation previously reported on the money-laundering investigation involving Samart and Wilawan.

Court finds insufficient proof of criminal proceeds

The Criminal Court found that prosecutors had not established that the money came from an offence or that the defendants knew it had been obtained through criminal activity.

In assessing the prosecution evidence, the court said the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) investigator handling the wider iCon case, involving alleged losses of several hundred million baht, had identified financial links among Samart, Wilawan and Warathaphon, as well as Samart’s romantic partner.

The court found that the defendants had received and transferred money through their own bank accounts, without using accounts belonging to other people.

The Criminal Court said the prosecution had not demonstrated concealment of the money’s source, hiding of funds or assistance to others in those activities. Prosecutors had also failed to identify an offence from which the money had originated or establish knowledge of its unlawful origin.

The court ruled that the prosecution evidence was insufficient and acquitted the defendants.

iCon defendants attend court before verdict

Samart spoke to reporters at the Criminal Court at 8.30am before the verdict, while Wilawan arrived at 8.45am.
Samart said he had posted details on his personal Facebook account under his own name before leaving for court and asked journalists to read the material to ensure fair coverage. Commenting on the rain, Samart said: “The sky is always beautiful after the rain.”

Wilawan brought a basket containing five kinds of fruit to make offerings at the Criminal Court before attending the hearing. Wilawan said she was not worried and had confidence in the justice system.

Wilawan denied involvement in money laundering, insisted she had done nothing wrong and said she was 100% innocent. Asking for compassion and encouragement, Wilawan said she had faced difficulties over the past two years, endured them with patience and perseverance, and hoped to put them behind her.

Wilawan said one positive development had been her appearance on the television programme Hone Krasae. Wilawan thanked presenter Kanchai “Num” Kamnerdploy and the lawyer known as “Kaew”, saying they had helped her provide fortune-telling advice to followers seeking help with problems in their lives.

Department of Corrections officers brought Warathaphon from Bangkok Remand Prison to the Criminal Court to hear the money-laundering verdict.