So you can essentially buy yourself out of a jail term right?

Re:

Paiboon fined B31.7m for insider trading in Matichon deal

Entertainment tycoon Paiboon Damrongchaitham has been fined 31.77 million baht for criminal insider trading in shares of the publisher Matichon Plc.

Pay a fine instead of going to jail? Why not? Paying to have someone sit in jail is wasteful of government resources. It would be best, of course, if the money went to the victims and the fine was big enough to have a serious impact on the criminal. Jails are for those who cannot pay in any other way, or are considered dangerous..

But this is like Microsoft though... If you can get away with something that profits you in the meantime and the fine you'll pay is low compared to the profits then you have every incentive to try.

Pay a fine instead of going to jail? Why not? Paying to have someone sit in jail is wasteful of government resources. It would be best, of course, if the money went to the victims and the fine was big enough to have a serious impact on the criminal. Jails are for those who cannot pay in any other way, or are considered dangerous..

Its encouraging that at least someone actually got pulled for insider-trading...? Bearing in mind that what would get you a "businessman of the year" award in Thailand, might get you 10 years in other places.

Edited June 16, 200719 yr by kmart

Don't see anything unusual about this. Many penalties for crimes are time and/or fine.

Jails are like finishing schools for criminals, inside jail they can learn how to master their respective craft and build a bigger network of like minded individuals. Fines can cause them real hardship. Although they should jail violent criminals and for murder/rape and child related crimes.