BANGKOK, Thailand – Democrat Party leader on Thursday submitted evidence to AMLO to probe “former ministers and politicians” linked to scammers as irregularities found involving a US$10 registered capital firm acquiring a business worth over a million times its value.
Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, accompanied by his team, submitted evidence regarding suspicious financial trails to the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) for immediate investigation.
The submitted documents included reports on business acquisitions, corporate structuring, and capital increase methods previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), as well as a list of individuals blacklisted by the United States for involvement in scammer networks.
Mr Abhisit stated that this action follows recent parliamentary debates and public criticism concerning global scam syndicates conducting financial transactions in Thailand. These activities reportedly linked several Thai nationals, including political office holders, to the networks.
However, he noted that the current evidence primarily highlights observable connections between individuals, companies, and joint business ventures.
Mr Abhisit said that today he presented a list of individuals targeted by US law, revealing irregularities in transactions that began with a registered capital of merely 10 US dollars, or 330 baht.
This company, in which a former minister is a major shareholder, proceeds to acquire a business valued at over a million times that initial capital.
Ultimately, these companies are connected to individuals on the US blacklist. The financial trail further extends to a major Thai energy company, which has previously been reported as a potential cause of diplomatic conflict between Thailand and Cambodia.
Consequently, the irregularities uncovered range from trading securities at prices far exceeding market value, to restructuring corporate entities to circumvent restrictions on foreign business operations, among many other issues.
When reporters pressed Mr Abhisit on whether the former minister had previously served as the SEC Chairman, he clarified that the SEC Chairman is not a politician.
Asked to confirm the total number of implicated ministers, Mr Abhisit reiterated that two former ministers are involved: one from the current administration and one from the previous government.
He stressed, however, that the Democrat Party’s objective is not to target any specific political figure, but rather to use this action to crackdown on the transnational scammer networks.
He added that his party will subsequently file the case with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and urges both the AMLO and the SEC to coordinate their efforts, as violations under the securities law can constitute predicate offences for money laundering. This is in addition to public fraud and human trafficking, which are already reported to be linked to these individuals. He also called for AMLO to coordinate with foreign agencies.
Meanwhile, Pol Maj Gen Chatpunthakarn Klaiklueng, Deputy Commander of the Cyber Crimes Investigation Bureau (CCIB), announced the results of Operation “Closing the Hill, Destroying the Nest of Northern Gambling Websites,” which led to the arrest of the owner of the HENG168 website.
The arrest was made after the Analysis and Special Tools Subdivision of the CCIB’s Division 3 investigated the online gambling websites, HENG168 and THUFLIKE networks.
These sites allowed the public to engage in gambling and are corrupting youth. The investigation found that a group of individuals have divided roles in the operation, forming a syndicate responsible for recruiting members, handling cash deposits for gambling, and managing withdrawals from the system.
The investigation revealed that the website has over 1,000 members and a circulation of more than 200 million baht over a six-month period.
With the operation base located in Chiang Mai Province, the police sought and received court approval to search five locations. Warrants were issued for 12 individuals involved in the criminal conspiracy, along with one summons issued for an additional suspect who is a juvenile.
A total of nine suspects were initially arrested, including website administrators, cash withdrawal personnel, beneficiary account holders, and money mules responsible for managing deposits and payouts on the gambling website.
Authorities seized evidence during the search, including two notebook computers, two desktop computer sets, two tablets/iPads, one internet router, and 17 mobile phones. Financial assets seized included 28 bank account books, 10 ATM cards, branded luxury goods, three cars, and 50,000 baht in cash, bringing the total value of seized assets to over 40 million baht.
The suspects were charged with jointly organizing online gambling (Baccarat) and jointly conspiring to commit money laundering. Most of the suspects confessed to the charges. Authorities are preparing to submit all bank account details to AMLO for a comprehensive inspection of the financial trails. (TNA)
