Firms linked to Malaysian group accused of money laundering ‘forged’ loan documents, says DSI
The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) is continuing its investigation into 20 companies linked to a Malaysian investment group that was accused of smuggling foreign currencies into Thailand.
Key witnesses have testified that loan documents discovered during the latest searches of these companies were forged, DSI deputy director-general Suriya Singhakamol revealed on Saturday.
Suriya said the agency has been investigating these companies for quite some time. Following orders from former justice minister General Paiboon Koomchaya, the DSI joined the Revenue Department in inspecting their tax payments and business transactions, while the Department of Business Development checked on their business registration and whether they had used Thai nominees.
The probe so far has found evidence of five such companies using Thai nominees for business registration in Thailand, he said.
He also said that the loan documents signed by the Thai nominees, who served as company executives, were confirmed to have been forged by key witnesses.
Suriya said officials suspected that these companies were funded by foreign currencies smuggled into Thailand from the Malaysian border.
A source said that a large tourist complex in Songkhla's Sadao district, opened in 2013, was funded with billions of baht from Malaysian investors. Early last year, the Internal Security Operations Command Region 4 and the DSI raided a foreign-owned hotel in Sadao linked to this group on suspicion of money laundering and seized Bt83 million cash in baht, ringgit, New Taiwan dollars and yuan currencies.
