Brother begs court to free Thai sugar baby
The brother of Siriluck Fatima Chimmalee, who has been charged with 57 counts of financial deception, has told a court the allegations against his sister are “a lie” in an emotional letter.
EXCLUSIVE
The brother of a woman who allegedly swindled millions in a Ponzi scheme has begged an Australian judge to “free” his sister, labelling the police allegations “a lie”.
Siriluck Fatima Chimmalee, 32, has been charged with 57 counts of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception and self-represented as she made a bid for bail in the NSW Supreme Court on Tuesday.
Ms Chimmalee is accused of swindling $5.2 million out of members of the Thai community by promising them she had a better exchange rate for the Australian dollar due to her connections to various financial institutions, the court heard.
The court heard Ms Chimmalee is currently in jail after being convicted in December 2022 for “romance fraud matters” in which she scammed two individuals out of more than $9 million after becoming their “sugar baby”.
As part of her bail bid, Ms Chimmalee’s brother wrote a letter to the court which was obtained by news.com.au, also offering up $300,000 to assist with the bail surety.
“Dear The Justice of the Australian Court. I am Narongdeatch Chimmalee. I received mail post by my sister Siriluck Fatima Chimmalee …[she] wrote that she is currently incarcerated at [Dillwynia] Correctional Centre [in] Australia,” he wrote.
“In the letter, she included one piece of paper for me to read. It was a statement [from] police. “After I have read the letter I can tell straight away it was a lie.
“That has been created to destroy my sister. I believe my sister is innocent.”
The 29-year-old then tells the court he is a rubber farmer, who lives on a farm in Signburi, Thailand.
“I’m willing to give money to [the] court. I’m willing to give it only if my sister can be free,” he said.
“I don’t know the Australian court system process but if anything that I can do for my sister then I will do. My sister is my life. I don’t care if anyone hates her but I love her for life.”
As well as the $300,000, another brother of Ms Chimmalee’s Hussadin offered up $1 million to the court for her bail.
The crown prosecutor submitted there were fears Ms Chimmalee would defraud other individuals if she was given bail.
The court heard how Ms Chimmalee had allegedly attempted to defraud fellow inmates and had “ensnared” a man who had been speaking to her via the telephone.
The court heard police learned about the relationship when she was sent “a few” boxes of chocolates in jail.
Justice Desmond Fagan denied her bail, fearing that Hussadin’s $1 million were the proceeds of Ms Chimmalee’s crimes.
“The court inevitably feels concerned about whether the money being put up may have its sources in the very frauds with which the police are concerned,” Judge Fagan said.
Between November 2016 and January 2018, police allege Ms Chimmalee operated 104 Australian bank accounts as part of the scam.
She has pleaded not guilty to all 57 charges.
The court heard how Ms Chimmalee’s trial is estimated to go for 12 weeks. She told the court on Tuesday she was now considering getting a lawyer for the trial.
Is there is case we should be covering? Get in touch. Sarah.Keoghan@news.com.au
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