Mother Demands Justice After Prominent Lawyer Allegedly Defrauds Her of 500,000 Baht, Then Disappears While Son Remains Imprisoned

At 10:00 AM on April 27, 2025, at the Sai Yai Must Survive Facebook page in Sai Yai district, 46-year-old Nang Jirawun came forward seeking help after being allegedly defrauded by a prominent lawyer who extracted over 500,000 baht, claiming the money would be used for bail and case settlement for her son. Ultimately, no action was taken and her son was imprisoned without receiving the promised help.

Nang Jirawun revealed that her 22-year-old son was arrested on December 28, 2024, on charges related to an illegal loan scheme after finding work through social media. Before even starting the job, he was prosecuted, forcing the family to urgently seek assistance. They contacted a lawyer, agreeing to pay 30,000 baht in legal fees and 7,000 baht for travel expenses.

The lawyer later claimed he could keep the son out of prison but needed 350,000 baht to negotiate with the opposing party at the police station, refusing to allow the victim to participate in discussions. Desperate, Nang Jirawun mortgaged her land and provided the money. After the court sentenced her son to 1 year and 3 months in prison, she contacted the lawyer again for help with an appeal, only to be told another 200,000 baht was needed. She borrowed from relatives to pay.

On March 21, 2025, after transferring the 200,000 baht, the lawyer became unreachable. When Nang Jirawun contacted the court herself, she learned that no bail proceedings or actions had been filed as claimed. The lawyer's team later returned, asked if she had contacted the court, and after she admitted doing so, they offered to refund the 200,000 baht, which she eventually received.

However, regarding the initial 350,000 baht, the lawyer could not explain how it was used and only stated there was no guarantee her son would avoid prison. This left Nang Jirawun devastated, as she had been assured of help beforehand. She now carries a debt burden exceeding 400,000 baht from mortgaging her land, with monthly interest payments reaching thousands of baht. For two months, she has been unable to eat or sleep while struggling to find money for her son's bail appeal as he remains detained.

Ekaphop Luangprasert, founder of the Sai Yai Must Survive page, stated that the lawyer must clarify how the 350,000 baht was used and identify the specific police officers involved in the alleged settlement. If no clear explanation is provided, the victim should file a fraud complaint. If unsatisfactory clarification is not forthcoming, he will accompany the victim to file charges so relevant authorities can investigate the financial trail and call for the Thai Bar Association to seriously examine the lawyer's conduct, as this represents the misuse of legal knowledge to exploit suffering citizens.