NACC seeks to seize Juthamas’s overseas assets
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) and concerned agencies are seeking the confiscation of overseas asset believed to belong to convicted former Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Juthamas Siriwan and her daughter.
A working group is translating court verdicts concerning bribery convictions involving Juthamas and her daughter Jittisopha in order to file petitions with five countries where assets might be hidden, according to NACC chief Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit.
Last month, the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases sentenced Juthamas, 70, to 50 years in jail for accepting US$1.8 million (Bt62 million) in bribes from an American couple seeking the rights to host the Bangkok International Film Festival more than a decade ago.
The court also sentenced her 43-year-old daughter Jittisopha to 44 years in jail for helping to hide the ill-gotten money in overseas bank accounts. The court ordered authorities to seize the funds found to have been earned dishonestly.
The Office of Attorney-General suggested that the anti-graft agency seek to confiscate the assets under the 2003 United Nations Convention Against Corruption, Watcharapol said.
The agency will seek the assistance from US officials in Thailand to recover the assets, he said.