Business nominees in Phuket face jail terms, fines

The Criminal Court laid down two-year jail terms and imposed 200,000-baht fines on 23 Thais and the companies for which they were acting as business nominees for foreigners in Phuket.
Auramon Supthaweethum, director-general of the Department of Business Development, said on Monday that the court laid down the sentences on Sept 11, suspended the jail terms for two years and ordered one-year probation and the termination of the proxy businesses.
The sentences resulted from the department’s investigation which found out that law and accounting firms in Phuket had registered proxy companies with Thai nominees to illegally let foreigners conduct businesses in sectors which by law are reserved for Thais, Ms Auramon said.
The department later sent its findings to the Department of Special Investigation and both organisations jointly finished the probe before raising the matter with the court.
“I warn the Thai people involved in such business to stop it because it ruins Thai business operators and Thai business,” Ms Auramon said.
Those found guilty of involvement in such proxy businesses were liable to a jail term of up to three years and/or a fine of 100,000-1,000,000 baht, she said.
The investigation focused on tourism and related business activities including eateries, hotels, property projects and logistics, she said.