THE tragic death of ASOS tycoon Quentin Griffiths has been shrouded in mystery ever since he plunged from his 17th floor balcony in Thailand.
The multi-millionaire’s apparent suicide came after a series of bitter disputes with his ex-wife, the Thai authorities and a mystery Chinese businessman who was demanding the return of £1.4million over a disputed property deal.
Nearly $4million in bitcoin is missing from ASOS tycoon Quentin Griffiths’s crypto wallet following his tragic fall from a balcony in Thailand Credit: Times Newspapers Ltd
Griffiths, above with second wife Ploy on their wedding day, was locked in bitter disputes with his ex, the Thai authorities and a mystery Chinese businessman before his death Credit: Collect / The Jattvibe
But a dramatic new twist emerged yesterday when it was revealed that nearly $4million in bitcoin is missing from his crypto wallet.
The fortune was transferred from his online account in three separate transactions in the days following his death.
Thai police are now investigating the apparent theft after his eldest son Joel, 29, reported it six weeks after his dad died.
But Joel himself was grilled over the mystery when he appeared in court yesterday as part of the ongoing custody case over the two children Griffiths, 58, had with his second wife, Thai national Ploy, 43.
The building in Thailand from which Quentin plunged from the 17th floorCredit: Not known, clear with picture desk
The vanishing millions were transferred from Quentin’s online account in three separate transactions in the days following his death Credit: Reuters
ASOS tycoon Griffiths taking a selfie with Ploy before their split Credit: AsiaPacificPress via ViralPress
Ploy pictured with her lawyer last month Credit: AsiaPacificPress
Joel was asked how he would have known the bitcoin was missing unless he had access to the wallet.
Ploy’s lawyer Mona Mankong said: “The funds were transferred to a mystery location. Nobody knows where they went or who did it.
“With everything that has happened, it’s very suspicious.
“Quentin was very experienced financially and knew how to protect his assets. Only someone very close to him would know his passwords and security keys.
“This is a large amount of money and it should be returned to Quentin’s estate.
“How does the complainant know the exact amount that was taken? Does he himself have access to the crypto wallet?”
Joel did not comment on the allegations in court, and there is no suggestion he has done anything wrong in relation to the missing Bitcoin.
‘Turned into monster’
The custody case is just the latest in a long line of court battles which Griffiths became embroiled in during his time in Thailand, which he moved to after stepping down as marketing director of Asos in 2005.
By then he was hugely wealthy as the online fashion retailer, which he co-founded in 2000, was on its way to becoming a £4billion global giant.
In 2007 the married dad-of-three, who would later funnel part of his fortune into crypto, met Ploy in a park in Bangkok during a festival.
She has told The Jattvibe how it was love at first sight and they moved into a four-bed luxury villa in Pattaya, which is 92 miles south of Bangkok, after he divorced his British wife.
Griffiths had two children with Ploy — a boy born in 2012 and a girl the following year — but their marriage hit the rocks when he began to indulge in the coastal resort’s notorious nightlife.
Dubbed “the biggest brothel in the world”, Pattaya has scores of go-go bars, massage parlours and brothels — with some estimates claiming 60,000 prostitutes work there.
Ploy said Griffiths would stay out until dawn partying with bar girls, at times blowing $1,000 a night, adding: “My handsome English gentleman had turned into a monster.”
Quentin was very experienced financially and knew how to protect his assets. Only someone very close to him would know his passwords and security keys
Mona Mankong, Ploy’s lawyer
After they split, Griffiths won a bitter custody battle over their kids then lost a second legal wrangle when his now ex-wife discovered he had fraudulently removed her as a director of the firm they launched to buy their family home.
Griffiths was convicted of falsifying documents and jailed for 18 months in October last year.
He was freed pending an appeal. Griffiths refused to accept a plea deal which would have kept him out of jail but handed custody of the kids to Ploy.
It also emerged he had sold their villa without her permission to a Chinese businessman who was furious when the sale was ruled unlawful.
With Griffiths on the verge of losing his children, a large chunk of his fortune and his liberty, he apparently took his own life in February when he fell from the balcony of his Pattaya apartment.
Left millions behind
He left behind millions in assets including his crypto fortune and property and land in Thailand worth around £2million.
Members of his family flew from the UK to Thailand to sort out his affairs and discovered that Bitcoin worth 120million baht — £2.7million or $4million — was missing from his cryptocurrency wallet.
Anyone with whom Griffiths shared the wallet’s key or who was able to obtain it from him could have transferred the sum. Meanwhile, the fate of his youngest children will be decided by a judge in the family court in Chonburi.
Son Joel has applied for custody so he and the rest of the Griffiths family can raise them in the UK.
Ploy says she now has parental authority and should have full custody to care for them in Thailand.
My handsome English gentleman had turned into a monster
Ploy
Her lawyer said: “The children have suffered a lot of trauma and been unsettled. Now, without their father, they need the stability of a loving parent.”
Ploy, who runs two nail salons, said: “Nobody can love them like I do. We want this nightmare to end.
Lawyer Yuthana Promsin, for Joel, said: “The children do not wish to live with their mother. Joel can provide better financial support and a comfortable standard of living.”
Joel said: “I am married myself but this will not stop me from caring for my siblings. There are other family members at home who will help.”
The two sides were unable to reach an agreement yesterday so a fresh hearing will now be held.
Until then, the children will remain in Thailand.
As for Griffiths’ crypto fortune — that could be anywhere in the world.
