A Thai-Italian model will be charged with helping her Singaporean boyfriend, a key figure in a sprawling scam investigation, evade arrest.
Officers with the Department of Special Investigation, or DSI, today said they will file charges against Sarah Casinghini for assisting her boyfriend, Daryl Cai Yonghui, escape capture.
Although Sarah has not been linked to the Forex-3D Ponzi scam, the authorities said she helped Yonghui successfully evade police when they raided his luxury Bangkok condominium last week. Sarah was also present with Yonghui when he was arrested at the Phuket International Airport, according to Maj. Gen. Suriya Singhakamol, acting DSI director.
Singaporean ‘Forex-3D’ suspect remanded to Thai court custody
Sarah, 35, is best known for appearing in music videos and reality television shows.
Yonghui was arrested earlier this week at the airport on a warrant issued for alleged fraud and violation of the Computer Crime Act. Yonghui is accused of being a primary architect of the scheme which bilked investors for billions by promising large returns from foreign currency exchanges.
Yonghui appeared at the Criminal Court on Wednesday. He offered to pay a THB500,000 bond and wear an electronic monitoring bracelet in return for his freedom, but was denied by the court.
Testimony in Yonghui’s case will be submitted to the court Jan. 31.
Yonghui was due to meet with the DSI in October when he suddenly went home to Singapore. He returned to Thailand last month without incident, sparking intense public complaints about inaction on the part of Thai authorities.
He narrowly evaded capture Saturday when DSI agents converged on their Bangkok condominium.
While dozens have been arrested, police are still looking for a Hungarian national named Eddy Polgari, who along with Yonghui was a close associate of Forex-3D founder Apirak Kothi. Apirak, who was arrested exactly one year earlier, has been charged with fraud.
Forex-3D started as a brokerage company which enticed people with returns of up to 80% on minimum investments of THB50,000 (US$2,000). Many celebrities were recruited to promote the business. Nearly 10,000 Thais have filed complaints over the Ponzi scam with a score of victims staging a 2019 protest in front of the DSI’s Bangkok headquarters.
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