Bribery claims to be probed

An investigation will be launched into a claim that a House committee member demanded money from an executive of The iCon Group, the direct sales company at the centre of an alleged public fraud scam, House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha said.
Mr Wan said he would order the secretary-general of the House of Representatives to look into the matter immediately.
“At this stage, there are only accusations. An investigation should not be difficult if damaged parties come forward. The House’s secretary-general will look into the matter straight away,” he said
He said that House committees are composed of government representatives and outsiders proposed by political parties. He added that if any non-MP committee members are found guilty, as alleged, police will take action against them under the Criminal Code.
Mr Wan was referring to an audio clip allegedly featuring a conversation between Warathaphon “Paul” Waratyaworrakul, CEO and founder of The iCon Group and a House committee member.
Mr Warathaphon appeared on a television show on Monday, explaining details about the audio clip. He admitted he did speak to a man in the clip, though the conversation took place about two years ago and had nothing to do with the current issues. He said that at the time, someone filed a complaint against him and the man in the clip offered to help him in exchange for 100,000 baht.
“I did give him 100,000 baht a month, but not every month … I did not seek help from others for free. But he did not demand 30 million baht from me,” he said.
Samart Janechaijittawanich, deputy spokesman of the Palang Pracharath Party, denied a claim on Monday that he was the man allegedly speaking to the iCon executive in the clip. He said he would sue anyone who makes false accusations against him. He said he is currently on a trip abroad and will give the media information after his return.
Actor Pakorn “Boy” Chatborirak on Monday met with police and told reporters he had terminated his presenter contract with The iCon Group and was among the damaged parties. The actor accompanied 40 others to the Consumer Protection Police Division in Bangkok to file complaints against the company he had previously promoted.
According to Mr Pakorn, The iCon Group had used him as a tool to attract people into its circle. His pictures were used without his consent, he said.
He said that, having terminated his contract with the company, he was ready to return the money he had earned from it.
Mr Pakorn said many affected people contacted him because they did not know how to file complaints. Therefore, he went along with them on Monday. He said he stood onside with those who lost their money. The actor accused the company of concealing information from him and misleading him.
Mr Pakorn said he was ready to cooperate with the justice system and was not trying to justify any wrong he may have unknowingly committed. He met police a day after popular TV host and actor Kan Kantathavorn had rushed to distance himself from the company.
Police said on Monday they had questioned 635 complainants in The iCon Group investment case, who said they had lost 232 million baht in total.
Last Friday, officers from the Consumer Protection Police Division and the Office of the Consumer Protection Board searched the company’s premises to gather information. They also examined 15 products that the company claims to sell.
An investigation showed the company’s annual revenue reached up to 5 billion baht despite having only 15 products for sale.
Authorities are now investigating whether the sales figures align with the company’s reported revenue and whether the products were distributed to the public.