BANGKOK: Thai authorities have broken up a large community that fraudulently helped immigrants, mostly Russians, to stay in Thailand lengthy- name through the use of business nominations or shell companies, authorities said on Friday ( May 31 ).
A 45-year-old Russian girl who immigrated to Thailand in 2012, according to police, co-operated the scheme with a Thai lady who was a member of more than 270 businesses in Phuket, Thailand.
Foreigners are permitted to run a business in Thailand, but only in certain circumstances can they do so in partnership with a Thai partner, and they must own more than 49 % to defend local competitiveness.
According to Puttidej Bunkrapue, the head of the officers Economic Crime Suppression Division, the defendants offered a company that allowed foreigners to be listed as shareholders of a company with a Thai lover or get employed by a barrel firm owned by Thais in order to obtain a work permit.
A total of 98 foreigners, including 68 Russians, have been accused of operating businesses without a permit, which carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison and 1 million baht ( US$ 27, 000 ) fine, police said. In contrast, 37 Thais were accused of crimes related to the system.
According to officials, the system is likely to have been operational since 2016 but that the number of customers has increased significantly since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
According to general inspector Krit Woratatat, at least 50 of the immigrants have been charged as of Friday.