Rome Goes to Court to Fight Ben Smith's 100 Million Baht Defamation Lawsuit

On February 23, 2026, at Criminal Court on Ratchadaphisek Road, Rangsimanth Roam, a listed MP candidate for the People's Party, arrived to give testimony after being charged with defamation by advertisement. Ben Smith, who authorized Thanadol Suwannaritrith to file the lawsuit, is seeking 100 million baht in civil damages. Roam was accused of discussing in parliament that Ben Smith was involved with scammer and money laundering networks. Roam stated he is not worried, as he was performing his duties transparently and believes the public understands the intent behind the lawsuit. He emphasized the importance of investigating the scammer case, which remains a significant national issue.