Court Sentences Prasit Chiewkok to 1,244 Years in Tour Package Fraud Case
The Criminal Court sentenced Prasit Chiewkok to 1,244 years in prison (capped at 20 years) and fined three companies 93 million baht each for a tour package investment fraud that defrauded 311 victims. The scheme promised 20% annual returns in a pyramid structure. Four defendants confessed, while a fifth was acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
The Criminal Court on Ratchadaphisek Road handed down a verdict in case No. O.Thor.Yor. 52/2025 on November 11, 2026. The Economic and Natural Resources Division 1 prosecutor charged five defendants: Mandawit Tour Co., Ltd., Nua Lok Co., Ltd., Web Sawasdee Co., Ltd. (public), Prasit Chiewkok, former chairman of the Return the Land project, and Kittisak Yennanant, vice president of the M Group. They were accused of jointly defrauding the public under the Computer Crime Act. Defendants 1-3 had Prasit and Kittisak as authorized directors.
The defendants allegedly sold tour packages to the public at multiple levels, deceiving 311 victims into investing with promises of 20% annual returns, in a pyramid-like scheme. Defendants 1-4 initially denied the charges but later confessed during witness examination, while Defendant 5 consistently denied involvement.
The court found the prosecution's evidence credible and the defendants' confessions reliable, convicting Defendants 1-4 of multiple offenses. They were sentenced for jointly borrowing money by deceiving the public through fraud, the most severe penalty. Companies 1-3 were fined 311 counts at 600,000 baht each, totaling 186,000,000 baht. Defendant 4 received 311 counts of 8 years each, totaling 2,488 years, reduced by half due to confession to 1,244 years. However, the law caps imprisonment at 20 years. The companies' fines were reduced to 93,000,000 baht each. Defendant 4 must also jointly repay all 311 victims with 7.5% annual interest, and the sentence runs consecutively with seven prior Criminal Court convictions.
Defendant 5, Kittisak, was acquitted as the prosecution lacked evidence and he consistently denied the charges.
