‘Not guilty’, says Thai investor, arrested for being party to $24 Million Bitcoin Fraud

BTC Wires: Thai cops had been probing into a bitcoin fraud case for a while now which saw a Finnish investor lose 5,564 BTC. Recent developments in that case includes the arrest of a fairly popular Thai stock investor, Prasit Srisuwan, who has been accused of playing a part in the entire fraudulent operation. He is the recent addition to the probe which also witnessed employees of three Thai banks being roped in for interrogation.

However, Srisuwan is singing a different tune, one that says he is not guilty. The Bangkok Post has reported that in a recent press conference, Srisuwan told the press that instead of being a perpetrator, he is indeed a victim of this fraud.

The Finnish national Aarni Otava Saarimaa, who was the main victim of the fraud was conducting transactions with DNA 2002 Plc, which is owned by chief suspect Prinya Jaravijit. Srisuwan claims that his role in this entire transaction was that of a broker and nothing more than that.

Jaravijit had apparently set up a deal for Saarimaa and Chonnikan Kaeokasee, his Thai girlfriend, which would allow them to invest in Thai blockchain and cryptocurrency businesses with that had potential in terms of growth. According to Srisuwan, Saarimaa has a strong blockchain and cryptocurrency background and understanding and his investment decisions were taken by him, completely voluntarily. He also claims that Jaravijit was the one who had introduced him to Saarimaa. Saarimaa had then paid 5,564 BTC (roughly $24 million) for shares in DNA 2002 Plc but unfortunately Jaravijit failed to deliver the promised shares. The main law that has been broken here is the Anti-Money Laundering regulation, which makes it mandatory to report any transaction that goes over the $60,000 limit.

Jaravijit is currently on the run and has not yet been discovered by the authorities. Srisuwan has agreed to fully cooperate with the officials since he claims that he is not guilty at all. The cops are not buying what Srisuwan is selling them though. He will be charged with fraud, says Chakrit Sawasdee, the deputy commander of the Crime Suppression Division (CSD).