Cops seek actor over ‘illegalities’
Police yesterday summoned actor Rattapoom “Film” Tokongsup for questioning after the Bank of Thailand complained his PayAll Group Co Ltd illegally provided mobile-based e-money services.
Rattapoom, a PayAll executive and its major shareholder, was given seven days t o clarify t he allegation with police investigators.
If he fails to report to the officers after two summons, “we will consider issuing an arrest warrant”, said Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) deputy chief Chawalit Sawaengphuet.
The singer-cum-actor yesterday admitted on his Facebook page his company missed some legal procedures and said he and his fellow executives are taking the issue seriously to correct the mistake.
Rattapoom is said to be among among five executives and holds shares worth 2 million baht.
The PayAll case is being investigated by the CIB’s Pol Maj Gen Chawalit-led probe team after the central bank lodged the complaint with the CIB, accusing the company of the running online money transaction services without a licence.
The firm was registered in 2012 as a business to sell cosmetics products and dietary supplements to its members. According to the Bank of Thailand’s initial investigation, it has also rolled out a mobile phone application “Pay-All” as a new channel of online payments to ease people’s purchases i n shops using the e-money platform.
Siritida Panomwon Na Ayudhya, assistant governor of the bank’s payment systems policy and financial technology group, said the problem was the company had not been granted permission under the Electronic Transactions Act.
Pol Maj Gen Chawalit will today discuss the case with police investigators and representatives of the bank and the Office of the Consumer Protection Board, which said it had received “many” complaints against the company over alleged irregularities.
In his Facebook Page, Rattapoom said the error resulted mainly from the fact it is a new business model.
“I was very careful with the work but that was not enough,” Rattapoom wrote.
“Today I would like to tell everyone I admit the mistake and please accept my apologies.” Rattapoom said the firm was solving the problem for Pay-All members.
In his view, the allegations by the Bank of Thailand and the Office of the Consumer Protection Board are “useful advice” which he said he and his fellow executives will use to improve their company. According to its financial records dated Dec 31, 2014, the firm reported a loss of 7.9 million baht.
During its meeting with the Office of the Consumer Protection Board on Tuesday, the company said it agreed to compensate members who complained they had not received the company’s products.
“We’ve already acted against the company for violating the Direct Sales and Direct Marketing Act,” said the office’s secretary-general Pol Maj Gen Prasit Chaloemwutthisak. The company and its executives were fined 300,000 baht each, totalling 1.8 million baht.