Fraud chief hails Bt13bn in seizures

By The Nation

 

FILE photo

 

The Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) has successfully confiscated Bt13 billion worth of assets from cases in the past 18 months, said acting Amlo chief Pol Maj Gen Preecha Charoensahayanont on Friday.

 

These included high-profile graft and human-trafficking crimes while it also intercepted "call centre" scam withdrawals worth Bt17 million.

 

Bt13 billion worth of assets were seized from money-laundering suspects in the rice-pledge scheme graft case and the alleged misappropriation of funds at Social Development and Human Security Ministry's provincial centres for the destitute.

 

There was also the alleged graft at the Education Ministry's Sema Pattana Chevit Fund for underprivileged children and the temple funds embezzlement scandal.

 

Assets were taken from the Klongchan Credit Union embezzlement case, which saw embezzled religious donations made to the Dhammakaya Temple, as well as the two human-trafficking cases linked to "Nataree" and "Victoria's: The Secret Forever" massage parlours, he said.

 

The agency's working system was reformed to be more proactive, which enabled it to intercept the call-centre transfers and similar techniques would be applied to the anti-money laundering law.

 

The crimes included drug trafficking, child prostitution and illegal gambling.

 

Next year will mark Amlo's 20th anniversary as high technology catches up with the borderless and cashless digital era, Preecha said.

 

The Amlo operation centre will be developed into a war room with a large database that can search and process information on crime suspects and links to other crimes.

 

He said by 2021 the agency aims to become internationally recognised for money-laundering prevention, especially on funds for terrorism.

 

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said the next Amlo secretary-general had not been discussed by the Cabinet.

It follows the abrupt removal of Pol Maj Gen Romsit Viriyasan by the National Council for Peace and Order.

 

He said the Amlo committee would submit a shortlist of candidates for the Cabinet to forward to the National Legislative Assembly.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30352364

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-08-17

Well that should just about cover the watches........

How much of this "wealth" has been returned to the scammed public....or has the government just taken the lot?

Edited August 18, 20187 yr by ChrisY1

14 minutes ago, ChrisY1 said:

How much of this "wealth" has been returned to the scammed public....or has the government just taken the lot?

Well on a vote l would say it's been well watched over

I wonder if the skimmers have figured out that it’s better to get the money out of the country instead of having tens of millions in their and their families names?

1 hour ago, Redline said:

I wonder if the skimmers have figured out that it’s better to get the money out of the country instead of having tens of millions in their and their families names?

Why in the world would you think that? That´s like a dream scenario in a land where people can sort out relevance from habit behaviour.