After Nana Rybena was taken into custody at the Crime Suppression Division for immediate investigation following her arrest at around 10:55 a.m., a large media contingent gathered to cover the event. Nana walked with her head down, wearing a black cap and face mask, fully covering her face. She also draped a shawl over her shoulders. Amid reporters shouting questions like “Nana, do you want to apologize to your friends?” she did not respond and proceeded inside to be questioned by police about the matter.
Recently, police held a press conference stating that around mid-November, Nana’s close friends came forward to file complaints against her for property fraud and fraudulent borrowing from the public. Subsequently, investigators from Division 4 gathered evidence, interviewed 17 victims, and examined financial transactions.
They also interviewed expert witnesses from the Office of the Fiscal Policy to meet legal requirements. Yesterday afternoon, Division 4 submitted a petition to the court to issue arrest warrants for Nana on two charges: property fraud and fraudulent borrowing from the public.
This morning, Division 4 executed the arrest warrant and search warrant at Nana’s residence in Phra Khanong. They seized documents and some of her assets and brought her in for questioning. The seized items include some of Nana’s properties such as cars, branded bags, 11 art toys, and about 50 pieces of jewelry, including accessories and watches, with an estimated total value of around 10 million baht.
When asked about the total damages suffered by the 17 victims, the response was that the combined damages amounted to 195 million baht. Nana invited victims to invest in 4-5 activities: first, lending money with promised monthly returns of 4-7%; second, allegedly stock trading; third, a basketball court venture; and fourth, opening international restaurants. When asked if there are more victims, investigations are ongoing.
Regarding Janie Thienphosuwan, it involved an invitation to invest in a food business in the United States. After the news circulated for some time, Janie verified whether the overseas investment was real and confirmed it was not, leading her to file a complaint with investigators. Janie lost about 3 million baht.
Concerning the claim by lawyer Saiyut that he brought Nana in to surrender to investigators on December 1, in fact, he accompanied Nana on Monday around 5 p.m., outside official hours. At that time, investigators had not yet issued an arrest warrant, as the warrant was only obtained yesterday afternoon according to the timeline.
Regarding suspicions by the lawyer that this might be a staged achievement by authorities because surrender was not allowed earlier, it must be clarified that legally, charges require reasonable evidence, and a suspect must be formally charged. For surrender to occur, the person must already be a suspect, meaning an arrest warrant should have been issued by the court. When the lawyer came, no arrest warrant had been issued for Nana.
Regarding Way Thaitanium, Nana’s husband, authorities are gathering evidence to determine his involvement. Initial inquiries about linked evidence are ongoing. As for invitations to invest involving celebrities, some victims are known, but many prefer to remain anonymous.
Nana initially denied all charges during arrest and questioning. On the day lawyer Saiyut met officials, Nana was not present—only the lawyer submitted documents to the reporting officers. When asked if Nana was in the car and did not meet police, officials confirmed only the lawyer met with them.
Regardless of presence, a suspect must be formally charged before being taken into custody, and charges require reasonable evidence. The arrest warrant was requested only yesterday, while the lawyer came Monday at 5 p.m. Regarding summons, that is handled by investigators. Under the law, for offenses punishable by over three years, investigators can issue arrest warrants directly. Questions about Nana tampering with evidence remain confidential.
When asked about Nana’s claims of stock trading and loan businesses, authorities responded these are false. For public fraud charges, they verify if the claimed businesses exist or are plausible. Currently, the charges are ordinary property fraud, but if further evidence arises, additional charges will be filed.
Regarding whether Nana will be detained or remanded tomorrow, police aim to complete questioning quickly. Nana has some declarations she wishes to make during the investigation. Bail decisions are the right of the suspect or their lawyer, with legal criteria applied.
The main factors considered include the severity of charges, case circumstances, damage amount, and risks from release such as tampering with evidence or flight risk. Finally, the adequacy of bail is assessed. So far, Nana has not applied for bail; if she does, it will be reviewed.
Whether bail is granted is Nana’s right, but investigators decide based on law. It is unknown if her lawyer plans to apply for bail during investigation or court stages. Details on which specific allegations Nana denies remain confidential.
Regarding victims inside and outside the entertainment industry, most prefer anonymity. Some identities are known. The total damage is 195 million baht among 17 victims with varying individual losses. Nana’s mental condition remains strong.
Nana urges other victims who have not yet come forward to report to investigators promptly. Victims in the entertainment industry are mostly close friends, including Paula Taylor and Janezuda Panto, as reported.
Nana clarifies she was unaware, believing the loans were normal and that she could repay victims. On whether the evidence shows a pyramid scheme, the arrest warrants cite property fraud and fraudulent borrowing from the public, which align with pyramid scheme offenses carrying 5-10 years imprisonment if proven.
Regarding investigation of Way, all aspects including financial trails and involvement in recruitment are being examined. He has not yet been questioned. Authorities prioritize Nana’s case first. On possible future money laundering charges and asset seizures, after gathering some evidence, the Division 4 chief has reported the predicate offenses to the Anti-Money Laundering Office.
Assets fall into two categories: registered and unregistered property. For registered assets, it is necessary to verify whether acquisition occurred before or after the offense, which mainly occurred in September 2022. If registered property was acquired outright before the offense, it is simpler to assess, even if payments overlapped with the offense period.
For unregistered assets like real estate or jewelry, authorities examine lawful possession similarly to AML standards. All evidence has been forwarded to the Anti-Money Laundering Office. Nana’s bank accounts hold limited funds insufficient to cover damages. The reported 400 million baht debt circulating online does not match investigation findings of 195 million baht, with some debts offset or partially repaid. Invitations to invest were targeted to select groups and currently do not violate the Computer Crime Act.
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