CEBU, Philippines - A businesswoman from Bangkok, Thailand spent 14 years of her life as a fugitive after having been accused of a crime she did not commit.
Mary Sarindhorn exiled herself to avoid arrest and went into hiding from one place to another while looking for possible ways to exonerate herself from the crime she was accused of.
Sarindhorn was charged of embezzling 196 million baht or $7.84 million from a finance and securities company she co-founded. She served as managing director of the company at the age of 25.
Five years after the company was founded, she became the biggest shareholder but a year later the Stock Exchange of Thailand collapsed. She was then forced to resign and sold the company to the bank of the former chairman.
Before she left, a bank director “held her captive” in a meeting room for at least seven hours, forcing her to sign “unethical” documents but she refused. After which, the director pointed fingers at her and threatened that she’ll be sorry one day.
She got a tip that an arrest warrant was set to be issued against her for embezzlement. Her former employee gave false testimonies in exchange for promotion and she was betrayed by her own lawyer.
Because she could not produce enough for her bail, she left her four children and husband behind to avoid arrest.
“I buried my face in my hands and cried out in my heart, ‘God! I am innocent! I am innocent!’” she recalled exclaiming while sobbing as the plane took off.
She described herself as a “forgotten woman broken physically, spiritually, and financially”.
Her life as a pitiful fugitive went on until December 25, 1989.
She lost all her hope and attempted suicide, but she suddenly heard a whisper, “Don’t give up, my child. One day the truth will prevail. God has a mission for you.”
After that, she prayed strongly and forgave those who have wronged her. “I felt redeemed and refreshed. God had touched my soul with His love. I was able to forgive my enemies through His blessing. I was ecstatic, and cried the tears of joy and excitement the whole night,” Sarindhorn said.
Throughout her ordeal she prayed feverishly night and day to God for help though she was not baptized yet. Her ordeal converted her to Catholicism from being a Buddhist.
She returned to Thailand with new hope after the statutes of limitation of her case expired. Her husband also abandoned her family.
Although her criminal case has prescribed and she could no longer be arrested, her accusers filed a civil case against her. Sarindhorn decided to face them in court.
In her desire to defend herself from the accusation leveled against her, she succeeded digging pieces of evidence from the records section of the legal department in her former office and was able to prove her innocence.
She testified to the healing and sustaining power of the Eucharist, which kept her from giving up and spurred her to prove her innocence.
“We cannot expect justice everyday. In justice is part of life. But God loves us all and justice is in heaven. And those who receive in justice, they can still be happy if they have God in their hearts,” she said.
“My life at that point was like a beautiful porcelain vase being thrown to the floor, then stomped upon by a rogue man. There was nothing left but pieces strewn around on the floor,” she added.
Sarindhorn is currently the chairperson of two manufacturing plants producing shower enclosures and tempered and laminated glass. She is also an associate judge of the labor court in Thailand.
“Today I am having a special kind of fever — Jesus Fever — the kind of fever that I do not want its degree to subside no matter what. If your heart is full of the Good News and Jesus Christ, it will spill over. You can’t keep it for yourself,” she said. (FREEMAN)