Thai police say 527 million baht in charity donations for Goodness Foundation went to personal use

Thai police allege that about 527 million baht of roughly 815 million baht donated to a charity chaired by actress Panadda Wongphudee was used for personal purposes.

Pol Maj Gen Thatphum Jaruprat, commander of the Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD), disclosed the figure on Saturday, 7 November 2026. Panadda and her husband were remanded in custody the same day.

Panadda, 50, is known as “Boom”. She is a former Miss Thailand, actress and television host, and chaired the Goodness Foundation, known in Thai as Mulnithi Ongkorn Thamdee. Her husband, Atip Anantawan, 53, is known as “Got”.

According to Thairath, the Criminal Court approved arrest warrants for both on Thursday, 5 November. The allegations are jointly defrauding the public, jointly entering false information into a computer system, and jointly laundering money.

Police have since frozen 48 bank accounts linked to the case. They are also summoning foundation directors, contractors and recipients of the money for questioning.

Arrest and remand

Thai news site Sanook reported that ECD officers arrested Panadda at her home in Bangkok’s Nawamin area. Atip surrendered at Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) headquarters at 8.30am on Friday, 6 November.

According to Thairath, officers searched four places: the couple’s Nawamin home, the foundation’s construction site in Pathum Thani, Atip’s house in Nong Suea district, and the foundation’s former premises in Bang Khen.

On the morning of 7 November, investigators took the pair to the Criminal Court to seek their detention and opposed bail, Thai Post reported.

Thai Post reported that, as she was escorted out, Panadda made a wai towards reporters. She said she accepted all wrongdoing, apologised for disappointing the public and said she had told police the truth.

Atip did not answer reporters’ questions.

Daily News reported that Panadda did not apply for bail and was sent to the Central Women’s Correctional Institution.

Atip applied for release with security, but the court rejected the application. He was taken to the Bangkok Special Prison.

On 8 November, the Department of Corrections said both had undergone standard health checks on admission.

Panadda’s lawyer, Ekkasit Srisang, told Amarin TV that the case was now in the hands of the justice system. He said he and his client would stop giving interviews.

Three accounts, 815 million baht

At the 7 November briefing, Thatphum said Panadda began asking for donations online in November 2015. The money went into a bank account in her own name and was said to be for charitable work.

In 2017, she set up a Facebook page under the Ongkorn Thamdee name. Donations continued to go into the same personal account.

According to Thairath, the foundation was registered in Bang Khen district, Bangkok, in March 2022. Panadda was its chair, and the committee had five members in total.

Thairath reported that a committee meeting in July 2022 approved the personal account as the foundation’s main donation account. A separate account in the foundation’s name was opened the same day.

Both accounts continued to take donations, and the original personal account was never closed.

In 2025, the foundation prepared to move to Pathum Thani. A third personal account, described as a “supplementary” account, was opened to collect donations for the new premises.

Investigators said Panadda alone had authority to withdraw from all three accounts.

According to the Bangkok Post, the accounts received more than 3.2 million transactions from over one million donor accounts between 2015 and the present. The total came to about 815 million baht.

Police told Thairath that money was moved from the foundation accounts into Panadda’s personal accounts, and then back into the supplementary account.

Investigators believe this was done to get around a foundation rule. Under that rule, withdrawals above 500,000 baht need committee approval unless the need is urgent.

Where the money went

According to Thairath, more than 600 million baht left the main account. Police said about 520 million baht of this went to 12 categories of spending, including about 243 million baht moved into nine accounts held by Panadda.

Other transfers included about 99 million baht to three accounts belonging to Atip and 4.6 million baht to Panadda’s father. A further 18 million baht went to a contractor building a pool villa in Phuket.

Police also cited 24 million baht put into six mutual funds and a 10 million baht life insurance policy naming Panadda as beneficiary. About 19 million baht went on 251 credit card payments across two cards.

Thairath also reported 30 withdrawals made over the bank counter, totalling more than 42 million baht. More than 300,000 baht went on home loan instalments and fees for shared areas of a housing estate.

From the supplementary account, about 12 million baht went to Panadda in 44 transfers and more than 500,000 baht went to Atip.

Another 880,000 baht went to a businessman in Chiang Mai. Police are still examining his link to the case.

Police said 527 million baht was only the amount traced so far, and that the figure could rise.

Questions over seized handbags

The Bangkok Post reported on 7 November that money taken out of the mutual funds had been used to buy jewellery and luxury handbags worth about 2.7 million baht.

On 9 November, however, PPTV reported that police were now fairly certain the 31 seized bags were counterfeit, according to Thatphum. Trademark representatives had yet to check every item.

PPTV reported that investigators are trying to find any genuine items that may have been bought.

What the suspects told police

According to Thairath and the Bangkok Post, Panadda denied the charges during questioning. She admitted that she had handled the transactions herself and that some money was used for purposes other than those stated in fundraising appeals.

She told investigators she had become confused about the payments because there were so many transactions.

Atip denied all the allegations. He said he had carried out the transactions on his wife’s instructions.

Thatphum said investigators had so far found no direct evidence that Atip took part in the fraud. However, his role in moving and receiving money could amount to money laundering.

The Bangkok Post reported that Panadda had earlier filed a police complaint alleging financial wrongdoing by Atip, from whom she is seeking a divorce.

Investigation widens

On 9 November, Thatphum said police had summoned Apiwut Phumpha, a director and the treasurer of the foundation, Thairath reported. More than 36 million baht had been transferred to four of his personal accounts.

PPTV reported that police considered the sum excessive as payment for his work. Once they hear his explanation, they will decide whether he should face a money laundering charge.

Investigators have split the people under scrutiny into three groups. The second group includes Apiwut, the foundation’s vice-chair, another director and two contractors.

One contractor, Apichat, known as “Chang Ae”, built the Phuket pool villa. He received more than 37 million baht through his personal account and the accounts of two companies.

The other, known as “Chang Em”, is a builder in Pathum Thani who received money from Atip. Police placed him in the second group because the money could be traced back to the foundation.

The third group is people who received the money, including Panadda’s father and the Chiang Mai businessman. Police said relatives or associates who received more than 500,000 baht would be called in.

Police froze 30 more accounts, bringing the total to 48. They said the case file would be completed within 84 days, the legal limit for holding suspects before charges are filed in court.

The CIB said on 11 November that ECD officers had carried out further searches in Pathum Thani province and at two condominiums to gather evidence and check assets linked to the case.

Officers put a hold on five vehicles and seized branded handbags and jewellery, which will be examined further, the CIB said.

Governance and regulatory failings

The Bangkok Post reported that the foundation had no records of annual committee meetings. It had not filed the annual reports the law requires it to give the registrar.

The foundation had paid tax only in its first two years. Thatphum said that although it was a non-profit, it was not exempt from tax and had to declare its donation income.

On 30 October, the Revenue Department said donations to the foundation could not be claimed as tax deductions because it had never been designated a public charity, Thansettakij reported.

According to Daily News, the Department of Provincial Administration also found that the foundation had broken Section 6 of the Fundraising Control Act. That section bars asking the public for donations without approval from the Fundraising Control Committee.

On 4 November, Deputy Interior Minister Polpee Suwanchawee said the ministry would change the rules for foundations to make them more transparent, Thairath reported. He said this would include letting donors check how their money was used.

Background to the case

The investigation began after donors and members of the public complained to the ECD in late October. They suspected their money had not been used for the charitable purposes it was raised for.

The controversy began when it emerged that money from the foundation’s accounts and Panadda’s personal account had gone to a building contractor. Thairath reported that the contractor said Atip had told him to pass several million baht on to a personal account.

Before her arrest, Panadda said on television that she had made construction payments on Atip’s instructions. Thairath reported that she also said her signature had been forged on a building permit for the Phuket pool villa.

On 29 October, Thairath reported, the foundation announced that Panadda had temporarily stepped down as chair. The vice-chair would act in her place, and all donations were suspended.