Jiraporn”, Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office, said that the police handled The iCon case effectively. Waiting to discuss whether it will be a special case or not after the number of victims exceeded 500. He saw that “celebrities” came forward to explain that speaking according to the script is their right, but they must go through the process. He ordered the Consumer Protection Board to review outdated laws and work proactively to prevent damage from direct selling businesses.
Ms. Jiraporn Sindhuphrai, Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office, spoke about the progress of the investigation into The iCon Group, an online business and health supplement product, saying that there are currently 504 complaints with 118 million baht in damages. The police have worked with relevant agencies to prosecute the case. Yesterday, the Consumer Protection Board (CPB) joined the investigation to expedite the investigation into the facts as quickly as possible. Saturday and Sunday are open. Yesterday, the investigation w
as held until 11 p.m. and there were continuous complaints from victims until this morning.
As for the number of victims and the value of damages that meet the criteria for a special case, will it be processed as a special case or not? Ms. Jiraporn said that the DSI is currently involved in this case to jointly examine the information. When there are 300 or more victims and the value of damages exceeds 100 million baht, it meets the criteria for a special case. However, it depends on the DSI to consider whether to accept it as a special case or not. Currently, the DSI has come to talk with the Royal Thai Police Office. At present, the Royal Thai Police Office is working efficiently, both in accepting complaints and investigating the facts.
For victims in the provinces, do they have to come and file a complaint in Bangkok? Ms. Jiraporn said that victims can file a complaint at the local police station without having to travel to Bangkok or call 1599, as well as file a complaint through the Royal Thai Police
website.
Regarding the Consumer Protection Board being implicated in the matter of the Consumer Protection Board’s angels receiving bribes, is there a time frame for investigation? Ms. Jiraporn said that they are currently coordinating with representatives of relevant agencies because they want outsiders to join in the investigation of the facts to ensure transparency. They expect to be able to appoint this committee on Tuesday, October 14.
As for the case where the celebrity came out to deny that they had any part in managing the business of The Icon and that the advertisement was just speaking according to the script provided by the company, will this result in them being acquitted? Ms. Jiraporn said that it is their right to explain to the public, but everyone must enter the justice process, which the police are currently investigating the facts of. If clear charges are found, the investigation will be expanded.
When asked what measures the Consumer Protection Board has in place because many victims hav
e filed complaints about this type of business, Ms. Jiraporn said that this type of business has already suffered damage in the past, and will be upgraded according to the changes. Government agencies themselves must update their information all the time. The Consumer Protection Board will work on its own part to facilitate the public. In the long run, they will have to talk to each other to work in an integrated manner and will have to go back and look at the various related laws to see if they are out of date.
When asked whether the Consumer Protection Board will have to be more proactive in the future because there are more direct sales businesses, to prevent any more victims from happening, Ms. Jiraporn said that she had discussed with the Consumer Protection Board that we have both the Direct Sales Act, Direct Marketing Act, and the Consumer Protection Act. If this type of business is allowed, there must be constant monitoring because in the past, the company was the one who reported the financial state
ments every year. There was no proactive inspection system, so she wanted to make it an important issue that she wanted to fix to make inspections more efficient.
When asked whether the number of awards from the Consumer Protection Board (CPB) should increase because it could be a guarantee for direct selling companies, Ms. Jiraporn explained that the award was given to The Icon Company in 2020 because the company came to donate medicine, face masks, and other equipment during COVID-19. There was a seminar by the House of Representatives committee, in which the CPB sent someone to be a co-speaker, so the company’s name was submitted to receive the award as a public service, not an award related to business operations. Therefore, the CPB was ordered to go back and look at the facts and investigate whether the company used the award for the wrong purpose, such as misleading the public into believing that the company had done a good job in business and therefore received the award. If it is considered a crime,
the award will be revoked.
However, reporters tried to ask Ms. Paethongtarn Shinawatra, the Prime Minister, about the issue of The Icon, but the Prime Minister called Ms. Jiraporn to explain instead.
Source: Thai News Agency