Thai court issues arrest warrants for foreign businessman, his wife for money-laundering

“A Thai court issued arrest warrants for a foreign businessman and his wife accused of investment fraud and money-laundering, with one victim allegedly conned out of more than $30 million,” police said. Thailand's Central Investigation Bureau accused Ben Smith, also identified in news reports as South African Benjamin Mauerberger, and his wife, Cattaliya Beevor, of "cross-border investment fraud" dating back to 2016, according to a statement from the bureau on Monday (March 2, 2026). Media reports have previously linked Smith to transnational scam operations in Cambodia, part of a multibillion-dollar illicit industry that has ballooned in the region. Thailand's Caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul — who told reporters in December that he knew Smith "but was not close" to him — said on Monday (March 2, 2026) that the warrants were in line with the government's policy of cracking down on scammers and money-launderers "regardless of who they are". A criminal court issued the arrest warrants on fraud and money-laundering charges. Smith (47), and Beevor (40) were accused of deceiving an unnamed foreign victim into investing in stocks, real estate, a private jet and energy businesses, building credibility until the victim "believed the schemes and transferred more than one billion baht ($31.8 million)", the investigation bureau said. According to the CIB, Smith portrayed himself as an investment expert and promised returns up to 11%. “Last week, authorities moved to confiscate assets worth more than $410 million from Smith and other individuals accused of fraud,” the kingdom's Anti-Money Laundering Office said. Last year, the "Whale Hunting" investigative newsletter reported that Smith once ran a "boiler room" fraud operation from Thailand, calling him a former "two-bit scammer" who went on to become a "shadow financial kingpin". A legal representative for Smith, Witoon Kengngan, did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Tuesday (March 3, 2026). Separately, a Thai lawmaker, Rangsiman Rome, pleaded not guilty last week to a more than $3 million defamation complaint brought by Smith over remarks the recently re-elected MP made to Parliament and media, Rangsiman's lawyer Nithi Laieddee told AFP. Smith's legal adviser Witoon told reporters last week that Rangsiman had accused Smith "of being a scammer". The Bangkok Post reported that Smith and his wife left Thailand last year, citing a senior police official. Published - March 03, 2026 11:39 am IST ### Related Topics Thailand / World / fraud / economic offence/ tax evasion