Ex-Miss Thailand faces fraud probe over foundation funds linked to Phuket pool villas
Police are investigating allegations involving Goodness Foundation donations and a project to build eight pool villas in Thalang, Phuket.
Former Miss Thailand Panadda “Boom” Wongphudee is facing a police investigation into alleged public fraud, money laundering and computer crime involving donations to the Goodness Foundation and a project to build eight pool villas in Thalang district, Phuket.
Police said Panadda could face all three charges, while her husband, Atip “Got” Anantawan, could face a money-laundering charge. Investigators are examining donations and financial transactions to determine whether funds were used for purposes other than those intended and whether the foundation followed financial-management regulations.
The allegations include claims that millions of baht were transferred to a contractor for the Phuket project. On Tuesday, 3 November, Panadda filed a complaint with the Crime Suppression Division accusing Atip and construction contractor Apichart Saelu of defrauding the foundation of about B50 million, according to the division’s commander, Pol Maj Gen Patanasak Bupphasuwan.
Panadda reportedly told police that the money was intended to pay for construction of the foundation’s buildings in Pathum Thani province. She gave few details to reporters, saying she had been wrong to trust a man who had been close to her and whom she trusted most. Atip is a real-estate investor and former Mr Universe 2016.
Panadda apologised to donors and said she would seek to recover the foundation’s lost funds. She also promised to prove her innocence and cooperate with the investigation.
The investigation began after donor Boonyanuch Saengsri, who owns the Facebook page “Oilsri and Phong Phueak”, filed a complaint alleging public fraud, money laundering and violations of the Computer Crime Act 2007.
Police said the Goodness Foundation, which Panadda chaired, began its activities in 2019 and was registered in 2024. It has raised nearly B1 billion in donations for disaster relief, legal aid, shelter for vulnerable groups, and medical and educational assistance.
