• 
• 

Published on November 13, 2007

Winita Lekhawanich, 24, filed criminal lawsuits against her grandmother Somlak Balanggura and the seven others, accusing them of forgery, filing false statements and embezzlement. She alleged they criminally prevented her from inheriting her rightful assets from the Bt20 billion fortune left by former Land Development Department chief Banjerd Balanggura who died in September 2004.

The Phra Khanong Court accepted Winita's lawsuits and set a hearing for November 28 for both parties to meet and possibly reach a settlement. The lawyers of all eight defendants declined to comment on the lawsuits but approved of the court hearing.

All seven defendants prepared bail guarantees for the criminal offences, but the court decided they were not needed until the talks had been held. But Bordin Balanggura, the eighth defendant, would be summoned because he was aware of the criminal charges against him and yet travelled abroad, claiming he wanted to resume his studies.

Thongman Phrekchuey, a lawyer for Winita, said the defendants jointly sold stocks in a company owned by Banjerd, who was the father of Tongjai Lekhawanich (Winita's mother) without her knowledge after Banjerd died.

Somlak and the defendants also filed misinformation to government registrars about Winita's lawful right to be given her assets, Thongman alleged.

He said Winita and her brother Warachai, 18, had been entitled to about Bt4 billion, approximately one-fifth of Banjerd's assets, which was Tongjai's rightful assets. Since Tongjai was dead, the Bt4 billion must belong to Winita and Warachai under the Civil Code.

Warawut and Tongjai were in their car at the Phetchaburi expressway exit on September 23, 1990 when a gas truck raced through a red light, overturned and exploded, killing about 100 people. Winita was seven and Warachai was a year-old when their parents were killed.

Thitima Lekhawanich, an older sister of Warawut, said she had brought up Winita and Warachai and later adopted them since the Balanggura family had ignored them after the accident.

She said the money was not an important matter but the lawsuits were needed to deliver justice to both of her adopted children.

The Nation