Leaked Photo Shakes Government: Anutin, Ekniti Appear in Frame with Ben Smith

A leaked photo shakes the government, showing Anutin, Ekniti, and Gen. Dang appearing alongside Ben Smith, a suspect in laundering billions. Observers note the photo appears old, as all look considerably younger.

On 3 Dec 2025 GMT+7, a Facebook page named "Chana Phasuksakul's" posted a photo of Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas, and Gen. Apirat Kongsompong (Gen. Dang) posing with Ben Smith, whose assets worth over 9 billion baht have been seized by the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO).

The post further summarized that AMLO decided to seize assets of a transnational technology crime (scammer) network worth over 10.165 billion baht (289 items) across four major cases. Ben Smith's network had the largest seizure exceeding 9 billion baht. Today, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced investigations found Ben Smith and Jim Liak have complex business connections in Thailand (real estate, private aviation) used as a "transnational money laundering network."

Following the announcement, questions arose in society because multiple photos showed Anutin and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas appearing with Ben Smith on various occasions. This led to public questions about the relationship between senior Thai politicians and a businessman linked to money laundering and transnational crime networks.

However, it is notable that the photos were likely taken many years ago, as everyone in the images appears much younger than they do now.