A Singaporean woman was arrested at Koh Samui International Airport in Surat Thani on May 4 for allegedly operating nominee businesses on the island.
Officers from the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) and Surat Thani Immigration tracked down the suspect, identified only as Janis, before her scheduled flight. She was taken into custody at the airport and transferred to a DSI office for questioning.
Investigators said Janis had been listed as a director of several companies registered in Surat Thani. She allegedly arranged for Thai nationals to act as nominees in establishing the businesses, while some companies were found to be unregistered.
Janis faces charges under Section 36 of the Foreign Business Act for conspiring with Thai nationals to operate businesses through nominees. The offence carries penalties of up to three years in prison, a fine ranging from 100,000 to 1 million baht, or both.
Thai nationals who act as nominees for foreign-owned businesses are subject to the same penalties as the foreign operators. Officials did not disclose details of the businesses or the identities of the Thai citizens involved.
The case follows a series of enforcement actions against nominee businesses in Thailand. In April, an Israeli woman and two Thai nationals were arrested in Krabi during a crackdown on more than 500 illegal businesses in the province.
In the same month, another Israeli national was arrested in Phuket for operating a travel agency using a Thai nominee structure.
In November last year, three British nationals were found to be running an entertainment venue on Koh Samui using two Thai women as nominees. The case came to light after two British shareholders were arrested in the United Kingdom for robbery.
More recently, police from Koh Pha Ngan Police Station raided an international school on the island over illegal operations and suspected nominee arrangements. An Iranian couple and a Thai woman believed to be acting as a nominee were arrested along with several unlicensed foreign teachers.
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