 |
| Nathan |
However, in a contradictory twist in their strange upstairs, downstairs saga playing out in a provincial court, he has promised his complainant good news on the debt repayment front when they meet again next month.
Would-be celebrity Nathan and his former housekeeper Saman "Tem" Sukserm came together for conciliation talks at the Amnat Charoen court last Monday. While the pair failed to reach a deal, Nathan did promise he would have good news for her next time they met.
"Whatever I've done to make Tem feel unhappy, I say sorry. And whatever she's done to make me feel unhappy, Tem has apologised to me," he said after their one-hour meeting with a court conciliator.
Earlier, however, he denied all fraud charges brought against him by prosecutors, and insisted it was Mrs Saman who owed him money.
Mrs Saman claims that after interest, Nathan owes her 750,000 baht in borrowed money which he has refused to repay. The original loan was for 300,000 baht. Nathan, however, denies ever taking her money.
He claims they knew each other as employer and employee (Nathan being the employer) for 10 years, and that as a caring boss, he lent her money to help out with her mother's health bills when she fell ill.
Bank slips showing Mrs Saman had transferred money to his account were merely evidence of her repaying her loan to him, he said.
Speaking to reporters, Mrs Saman denied she borrowed from Nathan. "My mother was fine until this business came along. She has fallen ill, but it's from stress caused the debts I incurred borrowing to help Nathan."
Nathan reported to the court to hear six charges filed by prosecutors - one for every time he borrowed money which he failed to repay.
Media reports said that as Nathan entered the court he looked ashen, as he contemplated the possibility of an 18-year year jail term (three years for each count) if found guilty. The previous day prosecutors decided he had a case to answer and sent his case to court.
After hearing Nathan's plea, the court ordered Nathan and Mrs Saman to talk about their dispute before a conciliator. It also asked Mrs Saman to lower the amount she claimed from Nathan to 650,000 baht, after a lawyer on her own side donated 76,000 baht to help her cause. Mrs Saman agreed.
When the talks failed to reach a deal, the court said it would call them back on Feb 22, for one last try at conciliation before the matter proceeds to trial.
Nathan is promising good news.
"On that day, I expect well be able to reach an agreement," said Nathan.
As they left the courthouse together, Nathan held Mrs Saman sturdily by the shoulder, to show the media they were good friends. Nathan's lawyer, Pirawan "Boo" Cholpithakpong, followed closely behind.
Nanthanaporn Praisaeng, an aunt of former singer Prissana "Bookie" Praisaeng, also accompanied Nathan to court.
Ms Nanthanaporn, a group captain who works at the office of the permanent secretary for defence, met Nathan when he visited Sydney about five years ago.
The Nathan affair has put her at odds with her own elder sister - Bookie's mother - who believes Mrs Nanthanaporn has fallen victim to Nathan's cunning wiles.
Nathan regards her as a trump card should his case have to go to trial, though Bookie's mother told one newspaper this week that she would be happy to testify for the other side if asked.
News reports say Nathan's lawyer Boo wasted no time in impressing upon Mrs Saman the importance of Nathan's chief witness.
"Please wai Ms Nanthanaporn!" Boo instructed Mrs Saman, as the party left court.
Mrs Saman did as she was told, as Nathan escorted her down the court steps, his arm still locked around her shoulder.
When reporters attempted to ask Mrs Saman how the conciliation meeting went, Nathan's lawyer Boo jumped in to answer for her:
"We have eaten rice from the same pot together for the last five years. Let them talk together first. You reporters can just stop your questions. Let's give Mrs Saman a chance to come to terms with a few things," she pronounced.
Mrs Saman said she was feeling more hopeful, and would wait to see the results of their meeting next month.
Later, she said Nathan had agreed to start repaying the money he owes - oops, never borrowed - though, judging by his past record, she is not getting her hopes up yet.
Last Thursday, Nathan was due to report to Bangkok police to answer charges that he falsified an application for a 2006 youth award. He asked for more time, saying he was still tied up with the fraud case in Amnat Charoen.
Meanwhile, his former manager, Anucha "Cee" Langprasert, is about to release an expose of his time with Nathan, though he denies he is cashing in on media buzz surrounding the disgraced former singer. -
2.
The law should judge bad-boy presenter/DJ Saranyu "Beam" Prachakrit, not his bosses, says Channel 3 head Pravit Maleenont.
Mr Pravit, who also heads BEC World, the company which runs Channel 3, was commenting on charges brought against presenter Beam, who co-hosts an entertainment show on the channel.
Beam is on the police radar after he was caught driving around town in a vehicle carrying fake police stickers and an unauthorised police siren.
Police charged him with carrying unlicensed weapons, displaying an unauthorised siren and carrying an unauthorised police radio.
They found the items after his car was involved in a scrape with another vehicle outside a city school in November.
A further charge, of modifying a vehicle without permission, was added when police discovered the vehicle he was driving did not come from the set of a television soap opera as Beam claimed, but was in fact his own vehicle.
Asked why Channel 3 continued to give Beam work when he was facing charges, Mr Pravit said his offending was not serious enough to justify a suspension or ban. "If he did wrong in such a way that viewers or the public can't accept, then they must judge him, and it's the most serious punishment he could face," he said. -
 |
| Beam |
Mr Pravit, who also heads BEC World, the company which runs Channel 3, was commenting on charges brought against presenter Beam, who co-hosts an entertainment show on the channel.
Beam is on the police radar after he was caught driving around town in a vehicle carrying fake police stickers and an unauthorised police siren.
Police charged him with carrying unlicensed weapons, displaying an unauthorised siren and carrying an unauthorised police radio.
They found the items after his car was involved in a scrape with another vehicle outside a city school in November.
A further charge, of modifying a vehicle without permission, was added when police discovered the vehicle he was driving did not come from the set of a television soap opera as Beam claimed, but was in fact his own vehicle.
Asked why Channel 3 continued to give Beam work when he was facing charges, Mr Pravit said his offending was not serious enough to justify a suspension or ban. "If he did wrong in such a way that viewers or the public can't accept, then they must judge him, and it's the most serious punishment he could face," he said. -
3.
A celebrity marriage in the Maldives between an actress and a wealthy woman socialite 20 years her senior is on hold, after they decided to get to know each other better first.
Sumonrat "Peemai" Wattanaselarat insists it is not money that draws her to millionaire tomboy Pattinya "Pa Top" Kuantrakul, but love.
However, she also admits that they don't know each other as well as they should do if they are going to tie the knot.
The two had planned to get married in the Maldives on Jan 12, but put it off when they realised they were not ready.
Peemai has moved in to Pa Top's place, after Pa Top received the blessing of her intended parents-in-law. However, husky-voiced Pa Top denied she intended to change her sex to please her mate.
"What if it goes wrong? I will have to go back to using the original. I will stick with the body I was born with," she said.
 |
| Peemai, Pa Top |
Sumonrat "Peemai" Wattanaselarat insists it is not money that draws her to millionaire tomboy Pattinya "Pa Top" Kuantrakul, but love.
However, she also admits that they don't know each other as well as they should do if they are going to tie the knot.
The two had planned to get married in the Maldives on Jan 12, but put it off when they realised they were not ready.
Peemai has moved in to Pa Top's place, after Pa Top received the blessing of her intended parents-in-law. However, husky-voiced Pa Top denied she intended to change her sex to please her mate.
"What if it goes wrong? I will have to go back to using the original. I will stick with the body I was born with," she said.
No comments:
Post a Comment