Israeli couple blame Thai lawyer after Koh Samui arrest

1 hour ago, mikebell said:

Why after serving as Senior Minister in three administrations, during the two decades I've lived here, has Anutin decided to begin, now, to enforce the law?

I still think the timing is related to the proposed changes in the rules from February, 2026 which change it from a forced sale with the gov't getting 5% to outright confiscation where the gov't gets 100%.

So far, I haven't seen any updates where the proposed changes were passed or gazetted. But then, I'm naturally suspicious.

What does seem to have changed is the fact that the violators have been getting banged up. Seems like it used to be that they just lost their right to the land.

Many years ago my Thai lawyer wanted me to sign several blank pages. When I protested the answer was that the document must be in Thai and I could not read it anyway. At that time there were no mobile phones with translation app.

3 minutes ago, impulse said:

What does seem to have changed is the fact that the violators have been getting banged up. Seems like it used to be that they just lost their right to the land.

Is there evidence of that though? (jailed)

Let's start by giving them 15 day VOA.

7 minutes ago, ronnie50 said:

Is there evidence of that though? (jailed)

I said "banged up". Arrested. Like these foreigners from Hua Hin.

Thai police have arrested 13 foreign suspects during an operation targeting alleged nominee company arrangements linked to pool villas in Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan.

Hua Hin pool villa nominee raids net 13 foreigners - Page 12 - Thailand News - Discussion - ASEAN NOW

5 minutes ago, impulse said:

I said "banged up". Arrested. Like these foreigners from Hua Hin.

Okay. I thought banged up meant jailed. I've been trying to find any reports that indicate what happens to them after arrest. I guess appear before a judge and then granted bail? Or maybe not?

Gee, who would ever think Israelis would do anything illegal?

5 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

It has been reported on multiple occasions that the professionals involved in setting up the illegal nominee companies are also liable to be charged for offences.

I've been reading threads about Samui, Hua Hin, Pattaya and others, and so far, no reports of lawyers or officials getting busted. Just the foreigners and some "Thai nominees".

Do you have any specific incidents of lawyers or officials being held to account?

6 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

. It has been reported on multiple occasions that the professionals involved in setting up the illegal nominee companies are also liable to be charged for offences.

That will depend upon statute of limitation consideration: likely 10 years to prosecute major charges and 5 years maybe for some of the more easily proven charges.

Edited August 22Aug 22 by JerryM

3 minutes ago, ronnie50 said:

I guess appear before a judge and then granted bail? Or maybe not?

Good question... I haven't seen any outcomes. I recall reading about deportations, but that may just be a hypothetical outcome.

Not a single word that the Thai lawyers and accountants who knowingly broke the law have been arrested too. Only foreigners. Strange, that. In the real world people trust lawyers to act within the law and don't expect them to do the opposite. I'm not saying that the 'beneficiaries' of unlawful behaviour by the lawyers are always entirely innocent, but if one party involved is arrested then why not both?

EDIT: I see in another thread about the same thing that in Pattaya authorities are investigating a law office.

Edited August 22Aug 22 by Bangkok Barry

6 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Ha ha, that's the way, plead ignorance.

Smart enough to property develop, not smart enough to know basics laws 😂

That's a bit rough...most people trust lawyers and accountants....to know the laws...are you smart enough to know them all, especially when you first come to Thailand.

It's quite impossible the really didn't know. Everyone knew what their doing going the nominee route. They know other Israelis doing that same and they all act like dummies. Ridiculous people really.

Now a days all you have to do is ask AI and say Sayonara to the greedy and cheating lawyers in Thailand.

50% are total trash from my experience. You end up worse than where you started with a half the lawyers here.

Edited August 22Aug 22 by brfsa2

17 minutes ago, impulse said:

I've been reading threads about Samui, Hua Hin, Pattaya and others, and so far, no reports of lawyers or officials getting busted. Just the foreigners and some "Thai nominees".

Do you have any specific incidents of lawyers or officials being held to account?

Yes, it's been reported here in tvarious articles on the subject that they are all being investigated.

Edited August 22Aug 22 by Liverpool Lou

Maybe the lawyers are getting off the hook because there is a plan for them to be 'intermediaries' in the extortion yet to come..

30 minutes ago, JerryM said:

That will depend upon statute of limitation consideration: likely 10 years to prosecute major charges and 5 years maybe for some of the more easily proven charges.

Thailand foreign Business act - Section 36. Thai National who Assist in Non-Sanctioned Business

... shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years

so as per Section 95, 10 years statute limitations.

AI Gemini:

Section 95 of the Thailand Penal Code (Criminal Code) establishes the general statute of limitations (prescription) for criminal prosecution. If an offender is not prosecuted and brought to court within a specific timeframe starting from the date the offense was committed, the criminal prosecution becomes barred

Edited August 22Aug 22 by JerryM

1 hour ago, msbkk said:

Many years ago my Thai lawyer wanted me to sign several blank pages. When I protested the answer was that the document must be in Thai and I could not read it anyway. At that time there were no mobile phones with translation app.

This seems like a standard procedure around here when buying property/vehicles, getting a visa or signing up for a bank account. At some point they will always prompt you to sign something completely in Thai, often with blank fields, that you have no idea of. If you ask the wife she will tell you just "have to sign" and get upset if you question further because it's embarrassing in her view.

Edited August 22Aug 22 by FarangFB

46 minutes ago, impulse said:

I've been reading threads about Samui, Hua Hin, Pattaya and others, and so far, no reports of lawyers or officials getting busted. Just the foreigners and some "Thai nominees".

Do you have any specific incidents of lawyers or officials being held to account?

Missed this?

2 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Missed this?

I saw that one. I didn't see where any lawyers were arrested. Just investigated. And no crooked officials even mentioned.

Yet, the foreigners are getting arrested left and right. For following the advice of those lawyers.

Edit: Good catch, BTW. Thanks for that.

Edited August 22Aug 22 by impulse

1 minute ago, impulse said:

I saw that one. I didn't see where any lawyers were arrested. Just investigated. And no crooked officials even mentioned.

Yet, the foreigners are getting arrested left and right. For following the advice of those lawyers.

Edit: Good catch, BTW. Thanks for that.

Yes the lawyers have facilitated the 'Company' idea for many years, BUT the people should also do their own research of Thai laws and realise this is not the lawful way to approach Property or Business ownership, AND then if they want to go ahead with it, then obviously it is up to them to deal with any consequences.

1 minute ago, couchpotato said:

Yes the lawyers have facilitated the 'Company' idea for many years, BUT the people should also do their own research of Thai laws

When I want to research medical issues, I ask a doctor. When I want to research legal issues, I ask a lawyer. Maybe I'll get a second opinion, but only a fool acts as their own doctor or lawyer.

Especially in a foreign country where the laws are so, well, foreign.

Totally innocent I'm sure 😄

3 minutes ago, couchpotato said:

Yes the lawyers have facilitated the 'Company' idea for many years, BUT the people should also do their own research of Thai laws and realise this is not the lawful way to approach Property or Business ownership, AND then if they want to go ahead with it, then obviously it is up to them to deal with any consequences.

Are you for real?

What is the point of having experts like brain surgeons, lawyers, doctors, architects ....................???

6 minutes ago, couchpotato said:

Yes the lawyers have facilitated the 'Company' idea for many years, BUT the people should also do their own research of Thai laws and realise this is not the lawful way to approach Property or Business ownership, AND then if they want to go ahead with it, then obviously it is up to them to deal with any consequences.

In America and in other countries, there's a legal concept called mens rea."

There may well be a similar concept in Thai law.

7 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

"We placed our full trust in them and did as they instructed, but when the law changed, they disappeared and took no responsibility, and because they are Thai, they are free from law enforcement," Roni said.

If "when the law changed" is back from when number of shareholders in a Thai company limited were changed from minimum seven to only three needed, all companies that had been set up with nominee shareholders — which was widely used back then by various law firms — got a period to change the owners to legal shareholders.

If so, then the Israeli 'owners' are not without fault — they could find a new lawyer, if the old office closed — and normally it is so in most countries that even you might not know the law, you are still guilty if not act in accordance with the law.

I wonder how people with huge investments and larger companies — international school and numerous pool-villas sound like some kind of size and not a peanuts-level of investment to me, but amount of money is of course relative — are not up-to-date with the laws they are acting under. In my POV it is fully their own fault, if they continued to run a set-up with nominee shareholders.

7 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Ha ha, that's the way, plead ignorance.

Smart enough to property develop, not smart enough to know basics laws 😂

Really it's the only card they can play. The system is going to have to come down hard on the lawyers. Someone sees others doing it and the lawyer 5rand real estate telling them that it is legal.