International human rights lawyer Jared Genser and former White House special counsel Lanny J. Davis have joined the legal and advocacy team representing Cambodian businessman Yim Leak, as his lawyers step up efforts to challenge an asset freeze and allegations surrounding him in Thailand.
Seiden Law LLP, which serves as Yim’s chief global counsel, announced the appointments, saying the expanded team will examine the conduct of Thai authorities and what it describes as a coordinated campaign of false or misleading allegations against its client.
The claims against Thai authorities and media coverage are allegations made by Yim’s legal team and have not been independently established.
Legal team questions scale of asset freeze
According to Seiden Law, Yim is facing an asset freeze exceeding 20 billion baht, or more than $600 million, in connection with a $150,000 currency exchange transaction.
His lawyers argue that the scale of the enforcement action is disproportionate to the transaction at issue and maintain that reporting about the matter in Thailand has mischaracterized key facts.
Genser said he had reviewed the case and raised questions over both the scale of the asset freeze and the process surrounding it.
“What I see is an unexplained level of enforcement that is wildly disproportionate to the underlying transaction,” Genser said.
He also questioned the treatment of know-your-customer, or KYC, obligations in the case and raised concerns about what the legal team says is the inclusion of a six-year-old child’s savings account in the proceedings.
Those assertions represent the position of Yim’s lawyers. The statement did not include a response from Thai authorities or details of any final judicial determination on the underlying allegations.
Genser is managing director of Perseus Strategies and has worked on international human rights cases for more than two decades, including representing political prisoners and Nobel Peace Prize laureates.
Davis to focus on reputational and advocacy strategy
Davis has joined the team with a particular focus on public advocacy and reputational issues.
He served as special counsel to former U.S. President Bill Clinton and has worked in legal, communications and crisis-management roles involving high-profile individuals and organizations.
Davis said the team intends to investigate whether Thai authorities were complicit in, or failed to respond appropriately to, what he characterized as a sustained campaign against Yim.
“We are looking closely at the Thai government’s complicity, and indeed willful blindness, in allowing a Thailand-based clique to engage in a sustained campaign of lies and smears against Mr. Yim,” Davis said.
He added that the team plans to pursue individuals it believes have used media reports or government processes improperly.
The allegations have not been independently verified, and the announcement did not provide the Thai government’s position on the accusations.
Case takes on broader international dimension
The addition of Genser and Davis suggests Yim’s legal strategy is expanding beyond the immediate asset-freeze proceedings toward international human rights, due-process and reputational issues.
Robert Seiden, founder of Seiden Law, remains Yim’s chief global counsel. His firm handles cross-border litigation, corporate disputes and reputational matters.
The expanded team is expected to focus on whether the enforcement measures applied in Thailand were proportionate, whether due-process protections were observed and whether public allegations against Yim accurately reflect the underlying evidence.
The dispute could therefore develop on two parallel tracks: the legal proceedings surrounding the frozen assets and a broader international advocacy campaign challenging the way Yim’s case has been handled and portrayed.
For now, however, the most serious accusations contained in the announcement remain claims advanced by Yim and his legal representatives rather than independently adjudicated findings.
