Accused poster of fake Anutin ‘tea money’ slip arrested

Suspect claims he’s not the owner of Facebook page where now-discredited post appeared

The man accused of posting a fake transaction slip on the “Godd Dam” Facebook page showing a purported 7-million-baht transfer to then-deputy prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul was arrested on Wednesday.

The suspect, identified as Chairat Rekawattana, 26, arrived at the Cyber Crime Investigation Division 1 in Bangkok at 11.40am on Wednesday. When asked about the case, he briefly told reporters, “I am not the owner of the page.”

A lawyer from the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights Center accompanied Mr Chairat, saying there would be no further comment pending discussions with the authorities.

The suspect was arrested after police obtained a warrant from the Ratchadaphisek Criminal Court, said Pol Lt Gen Thinkorn Rangmat, commander of the Cyber Crime Investigation Division.

In addition to forgery, Mr Chairat faces charges under the Computer Crime Act of importing false information into a computer system in a manner that could harm national security, as well as forwarding or sharing false information online.

The investigation was being expedited because the case involved the prime minister and could affect public administration, said Pol Lt Gen Thinkorn.

Media reports identified the suspect as a native of Chum Saeng district in Nakhon Sawan province, who was formerly affiliated with the now-defunct Move Forward Party.

Cyber crime police question suspect Chairat Rekawattana on Wednesday.

The investigation began on Monday after the “Godd Dam” Facebook page, which had about 130,000 followers, published what it claimed was evidence of a 7-million-baht transfer to a bank account bearing Mr Anutin’s name.

The post alleged that the transfer was a “tea money” payment made in 2023 while Mr Anutin, now the prime minister, was serving as deputy prime minister and interior minister.

The government quickly dismissed the claim as fake news, saying the image had been fabricated to distort facts and damage the reputation of Mr Anutin, who also leads the governing Bhumjaithai Party.

Kasikornbank, whose logo appeared in the image, said that the recipient account number shown did not exist in its system. The bank further noted that a 7-million-baht transfer through its K PLUS mobile application would have been impossible because the daily transfer limit was 5 million baht.

Authorities have also warned that others who share false information online may face legal action. Among those mentioned by police was Rukchanok “Ice” Srinork, a member of Parliament from the opposition People’s Party.

Ms Rukchanok, one of the most popular politicians in the country, has more than 2 million followers on her main Facebook page and 690,000 followers on Instagram.

On Tuesday, Mr Anutin signalled that he might pursue legal action against Ms Rukchanok for sharing the allegedly fabricated “tea money” transfer image.