Bangkok: Lawyer Saiyut Pengbunchu has raised concerns over the recent police raid and arrest of Nana Raibeena, questioning whether it was part of a plot against her. Despite Raibeena’s voluntary surrender on December 1st, police did not accept her at that time. Saiyut has prepared a 500,000 baht bail bond to be posted in court.

According to Thai News Agency, the arrest took place around 7:00 a.m. today when officers from the Economic Crime Suppression Division detained Nana Raibeena, also known as Raibeena Intachai, at her home in the Phra Khanong area. She faces charges of defrauding the public by borrowing money under the Emergency Decree and fraud.

Saiyut Pengbunchu, Raibeena’s lawyer, highlighted that Raibeena had attempted to surrender at the Central Investigation Bureau on December 1st, signaling her willingness to engage with the justice system and affirming she had no intention to flee. However, the officers at the Technology Crime Suppression Division did not accept her surrender or proceed with any action.

On December 2nd, police sought an arrest warrant, leading to today’s raid. Saiyut expressed confusion over the police’s actions, noting that Raibeena had already surrendered prior to the warrant’s issuance and had not shown any intent to flee. He criticized the decision to issue an arrest warrant and deploy more than 10 officers for her arrest as an unnecessary expenditure of government resources.

Saiyut shared a photo on his personal Facebook page, taken in front of the Central Investigation Bureau headquarters, showing himself with Raibeena. He captioned it, “I don’t want the Economic Crime Suppression Division 4 officers to have to go through the trouble of requesting a search warrant and an arrest warrant. I took him to surrender, and he waited for a long time, but he refused to surrender (charged with the arrest warrant under the Emergency Decree on Fraudulent Loans, punishable by 5 to 10 years in prison).”

He also enclosed a letter stating his efforts to coordinate with investigators to facilitate the surrender of Raibeena and another individual, Parinya Intachai. Saiyut emphasized that this proactive approach was intended to prevent the need for summonses and arrest warrants, ensuring both individuals were ready to engage with the legal process.