Thai housemaid’s 100 million baht fortune hits a legal snag

[Nick Carter icp]

4 minutes ago, UK Martin said:

Stories like this make me so sick of Thailand and its corrupt government... poor Tim.

 

   Eh, this is a story about the Thai Government addressing corruption .

The French Woman gained the properties by corruption, they Thai Government are reversing that corruption 

[Liverpool Lou]

6 hours ago, terryofcrete said:

Inheritance tax ...is that not clawing money from the dead. .

No, it's clawing money from the inheriting survivors.

[Nick Carter icp]

2 hours ago, renaissanc said:

There is no way that the 100 million Baht in assets will go to the state. The maid's last resort is to make an agreement with the Police that they share some of the assets with her or else she will call for an investigation about where the assets really went.

 

   Will she go to the Police and ask them to investigate where the money went ?

[hotchilli]

26 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Property that she accumulated illegally.

Allegedly, yet she managed to get the land title notes, Thais excepted the money for the sales, she was allowed to build

etc etc... then ohhh sorry it's all illegal "after the events" how convenient.

[daejung]

18 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The assets Tim was set to inherit included luxury villas with plots of land worth around 30 million baht, cash, savings in bank accounts, jewellery, other valuables, and even Catherine’s three beloved cats.

Will she get at last 70 millions (100-30) ?

[Liverpool Lou]

6 hours ago, hotchilli said:

6 hours ago, terryofcrete said:

Inheritance tax ...is that not clawing money from the dead. .

Absolutely

Absolutely not.

[Liverpool Lou]

6 hours ago, ronster said:

o are they saying every foreigner in samui that has a home set up in a similar way to own it will basically lose their home to the state when they die and their families will get nothing ?

Yes, if they set it up the way she did with illegal nominees.  If it is set up with legal Thai partners, not designed solely to circumvent the property-owning laws, there will be no concerns.

[Nick Carter icp]

17 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Allegedly, yet she managed to get the land title notes, Thais excepted the money for the sales, she was allowed to build

etc etc... then ohhh sorry it's all illegal "after the events" how convenient.

 

   Some Thai officials on Ko Samui accepted money to bend the rules .

The was then publicised nationally and then there was an investigation by other Thais .

   Its not as if there's one big group of united Thais all doing the same thing 

 

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   Eh, this is a story about the Thai Government addressing corruption .

The French Woman gained the properties by corruption, they Thai Government are reversing that corruption 

 

Yet they only reverse it once the lady has died.

 

Has she remained alive, there would be no complaint. 

Or, the property would have to be 'resold' into Thai hands - where would that money go then ?

Would the Authorities confiscated, or would the money which was originally the French ladies, be returned to the French lady ?...    In the worst case, minus any fines... 

 

Thus: the question is: For any Foreigners who gain ownership of property though 'nominees' what happens when they are 'found out'  - do they lose everything ? with whom does the value of the property sit ? - or do the nominees hold it ?? - nothing has changed on their part... 

 

IF the 'nominiees' were part of the property ownership as per the land department records, don't they still have part ownership ???

 

[ericbj]

Many aspects of this case are unclear.

 

I would have thought that if the two Thais are named on the legal documents as owners for 51% of the land purchased, (in accordance with the law), then they are owners for 51% of the land. (And of the houses built on it, in the absence of legally-binding agreements to the contrary)

 

Would it matter as regards their ownership, from a legal point-of-view, if the money for their shares of the purchases came from their bank accounts or from elsewhere?
If the money was gifted, then I suspect they should have declared it as income.  A failure on their part.

 

Perhaps the Thai owners of the properties received none of the profits from the rented properties?
This would suggest that they did not regard themselves as owners, but merely as nominees in a bogus transaction.
In the latter case they would have received some kind of "backhander" (maybe a generous 51% ownership of the land value?) at times of purchase.

 

"Police identified two Thai nationals, … , as shareholders in Catherine’s company. Investigators SUSPECT the two acted as nominees, enabling Catherine to register her company and hold land on the island illegally."

Surely this case must be based upon proof, not suspicion.

 

[Nick Carter icp]

12 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Yet they only reverse it once the lady has died.

 

Has she remained alive, there would be no complaint. 

Or, the property would have to be 'resold' into Thai hands - where would that money go then ?

Would the Authorities confiscated, or would the money which was originally the French ladies, be returned to the French lady ?...    In the worst case, minus any fines... 

 

Thus: the question is: For any Foreigners who gain ownership of property though 'nominees' what happens when they are 'found out'  - do they lose everything ? with whom does the value of the property sit ? - or do the nominees hold it ?? - nothing has changed on their part... 

 

IF the 'nominiees' were part of the property ownership as per the land department records, don't they still have part ownership ???

 

 

   Quite probably received all the attention because it was headline news and the authorities being forced to take action .

   Had it remained a local issue then no legal action may have been taken . 

[tgw]

20 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Due to these illegal activities, Tim is denied the inheritance, and all of Catherine’s assets will eventually become state property following the conclusion of the legal proceedings.

 

 

That is illegal as well.

I hope someone will prosecute the conspirators.

 

 

[newnative]

Disgusting.  The maid should at least inherit the non-real estate assets she was given in the Will.

[sikishrory]

"State" must be happy

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   Some Thai officials on Ko Samui accepted money to bend the rules .

The was then publicised nationally and then there was an investigation by other Thais .

   Its not as if there's one big group of united Thais all doing the same thing 

 

Its rife in Thailand... land ownership, rights to build etc etc all very dodgy 

[geisha]

A jest from the state should allow Tim to at least inherit the jewelry and some cash. A good lawyer abroad would find out where the sale/ land money went . It would be good to follow up the results of this case. The state  is bound to make a lot of money out of all this.

[HammerGuy]

22 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

 

A Thai housemaid on Koh Samui, an island in the southern province of Surat Thani, is unable to claim a 100-million-baht estate left to her by her deceased French employer due to illegal actions surrounding the foreigner’s business.

 

The 59 year old French businesswoman, Catherine Delacote, took her own life on April 29 of this year by shooting herself at her luxury villa on Koh Samui. CCTV footage from the property showed Catherine using a mop to turn the camera away before shooting herself in the temple.

 

Reports indicate that Catherine died by suicide due to her battle with cancer. Her Thai housemaid, Natwalai, also known as Tim, told the police that her employer frequently expressed her struggles with the illness.

 

The story drew public attention when details of Catherine’s will emerged. The will, drafted before her death, stipulated that she wished to leave two luxury villas to her ex-husband Vincent and the remainder of her assets which were valued at about 100 million baht to her housemaid, Tim.

 

The assets Tim was set to inherit included luxury villas with plots of land worth around 30 million baht, cash, savings in bank accounts, jewellery, other valuables, and even Catherine’s three beloved cats.

 

In an interview with several news outlets, Tim expressed her astonishment at Catherine’s decision. She revealed that she had lived with Catherine for about 17 years, starting from when the Frenchwoman was staying in a rented room.

 

 

 

Tim had been by Catherine’s side throughout her journey of building rooms, resorts, and luxury villas for rent. As Catherine’s business expanded, she moved to Koh Samui, purchasing land and constructing five luxury villas for personal use and rental purposes.

 

Illegal registration and nominees

 

While the story initially inspired heartwarming sentiments, it also raised questions about the legality of Catherine’s business operations and land ownership.

 

This prompted an investigation by the police and Surat Thani Provincial Administration officials. The inheritance intended for Tim was put on hold pending the outcome of the investigation.

 

After more than seven months of inquiries, Surat Thani Provincial Police announced today, November 26, that Tim would not be able to claim the assets because officials discovered illegal practices in Catherine’s business dealings.

 

Police identified two Thai nationals, 50 year old Thongssai Katisuk and 36 year old Ratchaprapa Soreda, as shareholders in Catherine’s company. Investigators suspect the two acted as nominees, enabling Catherine to register her company and hold land on the island illegally.

 

A law firm was also implicated in providing consultation and facilitating the unlawful registration of Catherine’s company. Police would summon all relevant parties for questioning and to face legal charges.

 

Due to these illegal activities, Tim is denied the inheritance, and all of Catherine’s assets will eventually become state property following the conclusion of the legal proceedings.

 

By Petch Petpailin

Photo via KomChadLuek

 

Source: The Thaiger

-- 2024-11-26

 

 

<deleted> thai government are greedy <deleted>, We knew they was never going to let her inherit