The Criminal Court sentenced to one year imprisonment, suspended, and fined 100,000 baht. "Lawyer Kung" Defamation "Poo-Mantana" He acknowledged the need to be careful with his words and said they will contest the case on appeal.
In courtroom 905 of the Criminal Court on 29 June, the court announced the verdict in case number black 2859/2568. Mantana Himathongkham, or Poo, 47, former Miss Thailand runner-up in 1998 and actress, filed a lawsuit against Wanmanee Ponsawan, or Lily Nguyen, a model and influencer of Vietnamese-Lao descent raised in Thailand, and Amnuayporn Maneewan, or Lawyer Kung, the defendants 1 and 2, on charges of defamation by public advertisement.
The case arose from a 7 July 2024 appearance by both defendants on the TV show "Clear Cut," broadcast on a channel and online media, where statements were made that caused damage related to debt collection, which was untrue since there were only two creditors. This caused the plaintiff stress requiring medical treatment.
The Criminal Court investigated the case and previously dismissed the charge against Wanmanee, or Lily Nguyen, the first defendant, during the preliminary hearing. Amnuayporn, or Lawyer Kung, the second defendant, attended the verdict hearing along with former famous model Lukmee-Rasmee Thongsiripraisri and lawyer Decha Kittiwittayanant, or Lawyer Decha.
After reviewing evidence from both sides, the court found that the second defendant’s statements on the show, responding that the plaintiff had many debtors, exceeded his role as a lawyer. The remarks were not made to protect client interests, did not benefit the public, and if other rights were to be protected, legal action could be taken. The second defendant’s actions were deemed criminal as charged.
The court ruled that the second defendant was guilty of defamation by public advertisement, sentencing him to one year in prison, suspended for two years, and fined 100,000 baht.
Afterward, Mantana, or Poo, and her legal team smiled and expressed satisfaction with the verdict before leaving.
Meanwhile, Amnuayporn, or Lawyer Kung, paid the 100,000 baht fine. He said he accepted losing the case, admitting he made one mistake and must be careful with his words. He said he will appeal and continue to fight the case through the judicial process. He confirmed he had paid the fine in cash. Despite this, he noted he had won five other cases and lost only this first one, considering a 5-1 record. He was not worried, saying this was the first case in which he served as a lawyer and was sentenced to prison with suspension. He said they will continue to fight on appeal.