UPDATE: Phuket included in Thai nominee crackdown as probe expands to 10 years
Thailand’s nominee-land investigation now covers 10 years and seven phases across eight locations, including Phuket, with 309 plots reportedly seized.
Phuket was among destinations previously targeted by police in a crackdown on suspected illegal nominee arrangements used to conceal foreign property ownership, Deputy Interior Minister Worasit Liangprasit said, according to a report on a related operation in Pattaya.
The report said police had also taken action in Koh Phangan and Koh Samui. The Thaiger reported that the wider investigation had been extended to cover 10 years, while its nominee-land-ownership inquiry had progressed through seven phases covering Koh Pha Ngan (Koh Phangan), Koh Samui, Phuket, Krabi, Phang Nga, Chon Buri, Chiang Mai and Hua Hin. Police reportedly seized 309 plots covering 34.72 hectares and valued at B4.339 billion (US$120 million), with legal proceedings begun. The cases involved Thai nominees holding land on behalf of foreign nationals.
In Pattaya, the Department of Special Investigation and local police raided three locations on a Friday and seized computers and documents while investigating suspected breaches of Thailand’s 1999 Foreign Business Act.
