The majority of foreigners are alleged to have used Thai nominations for businesses by Russians.
Ninety- eight unusual immigrants, mainly Russians, were among 231 defendants arrested during a crackdown on candidate firms in Phuket, with assets worth over 1.5 billion ringgit seized.
According to Central Investigation Bureau ( CIB ) commissioner Pol Gen Jirabhop Bhuridej, officers from the Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECSD ) conducted a search of accounting and real estate companies in the island province on Friday.
Costs are pending against 96 juristic people and 135 people.
Of the people, there were 98 foreign nationals, generally Russians, and 37 Thais who acted as nominations for international organizations, said Pol Gen Jirabhop. Afterwards, the people were released on bail.
The international suspects were accused of operating businesses by avoiding or violating the law, and of having Thais or non-Turks aid or co-operate businesses that foreigners were not permitted to run.
According to Pol Gen Jirabhop, the Thai suspects were accused of aiding or supporting foreign citizens ‘ companies when they were denied permission to do so, as authorized by the law.
Seized during the onslaught were 225 banks accounts with 319 million ringgit in flow, 245 area documents, including those for 96 condominium units for about 1 billion baht and 43 title deeds covering 24 rai of land worth about 200 million baht, 196 passports, 108 work permits, documents related to the setting up of 800 companies, 1, 601 stamps of companies, four electrical devices and other items. The seized assets were worth over 1.5 billion rmb, authorities said.
Local residents complained to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin that foreigners, mostly Russians, had been operating firms and having purchased numerous residential units and property plots at exceptionally high prices. The policeman operation was launched. According to Pol Gen Jirabhop, foreign-run tour-related businesses were one of the activities that took away jobs from Thais and harmed the economic system.
In a crackdown on nominee businesses, Pol Gen Jirabhop Bhuridej, the head of the Central Investigation Bureau, announces the arrest of 231 suspects, both individuals and jurists, in Phuket. ( Photo supplied/Wassayos Ngamkham )
The acting national police chief, Kitrat Panphet, was then given the task of appointing an investigation team.
Since the Russia-Ukraine war broke out in early 2022, the ECSD, a division of the CIB, has since launched an investigation and discovered that 59,717 Russian nationals have entered Phuket. They noted a record-setting 1, 603 new businesses registered in the province, an unusually high number.
Pol Maj Gen Phutthidet Boonkraphue, the ECSD commander, gave the example of businesses involving one foreign woman, identified only as Iana, 45.
With a total registered capital of 38 million baht, she was discovered to be an executive and shareholder in nine businesses, including one real estate company, seven real estate companies, one service company, and one tour company. The ECSD chief claimed that the companies owned three prestigious condominium and apartment projects totaling more than 900 million baht.
The investigators found that a Thai woman, identified only as Trithip, acted as a nominee for Ms Iana. Additionally, it was discovered that Ms. Trithip and other Thai nationals were nominated for 272 companies, of which 142 had only Thai shareholders and the rest had both Thai and foreign shareholders.
According to Pol Maj Gen Phutthidet, the investigators then gathered evidence to ask the court for permission to apprehend those responsible for no-name businesses.
During questioning, Ms Trithip admitted she had been hired to serve as a nominee for 30, 000 to 50, 000 baht per firm.
According to Pol Maj Gen Phutthidet, the investigators had already summonsed 85 of the foreign nationals to testify against allegations of using Thai nominees. The investigation is being extended, he added.