PATTAYA, Thailand – Officials have raided three locations in Pattaya and seized computers and documents linked to a suspected nominee scheme concealing foreign ownership of land and businesses, as the Department of Special Investigation, Interior Ministry, and police officers conducted searches to gather evidence concerning suspected violations of the Foreign Business Act of 1999. Deputy Interior Minister Worasit Liangprasit said the operation on Friday was an extension of earlier investigations on Koh Phangan, Koh Samui in Surat Thani, and Phuket, with evidence gathered during those investigations indicating that Cosy Beach View Co Ltd in Chon Buri may have circumvented the law, leading investigators to seek warrants to search three locations.

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At KT International Law and Business in Pattaya, officers found evidence indicating that Thai employees of the law firm may have been listed as shareholders in Cosy Beach View on behalf of foreign beneficial owners, with documents seized for further examination. A second search at Shilat Avenue Pattaya Hotel found that the hotel had hired the law firm to handle its registration and had listed law firm employees among its founders, while a person with a background in an aluminium sales business in Samut Sakhon was also listed as a shareholder, according to investigators.

The third search targeted the Cosy Beach View condominium in Bang Lamung district, where an Israeli national was a company director, and its shareholding structure indicated that Thai nationals had been used as nominees since 2010, investigators said. The seized computers, documents, and other materials will undergo forensic examination as authorities continue to investigate the full scope of the alleged scheme.

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Justice Minister Rutthapon Naowarat said Thailand remains open to legitimate foreign investment but will take legal action against any Thai or foreign individuals found to have used nominee arrangements to circumvent the law. The raids mark the latest effort in the government’s ongoing crackdown on nominee structures, following similar operations in other tourist provinces that have uncovered widespread use of Thai proxies to bypass foreign ownership restrictions. Authorities have indicated that further actions are expected as investigations continue to expand across the country.

-Thailand News (TN)