According to the lawsuit filed in February 2015, Chaowarin in May 2014 allegedly conspired to have an email hacked to deceive the firm, BPC, into thinking that Chaowarin’s foundation account belonged to TPI Thailand, from which the firm was buying cement worth Bt11.4 million for resale in Cambodia.

Although Chaowarin maintained his innocence, the court of first instance last September found him guilty of a misappropriation charge under Section 352 of the Criminal Code.

The court sentenced him to one year and six months and also ordered him to repay the amount in question to the firm, the lawsuit said.

However, the Appeals Court found that Chaowarin was also guilty of a Computer Crime Act violation based on circumstantial evidence, given that he wired Bt10.7 million to another person’s account “to repay debt and order wine” and another Bt685,708 to his personal account.

The Appeals Court rejected Chaowarin’s claim that he thought another Cambodian firm had made a donation for his foundation’s project to build an 84-metre-tall religious statue, so he had used the money to repay what he had borrowed on behalf of the foundation.

Chaowarin’s wife is applying for his release on bail while they appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.