US Couple Arrested In Bangkok Film Festival Graft Probe

[Jai Dee]

US couple arrested in Bangkok Film Festival graft probe: justice

A group photo of 2005 Bangkok International Film Festival private dinner (L-R) Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Juthamas Siriwan, actor Michael Douglas, Patricia Green of Festival Management Inc., Gerald Green the President of Festival Management, Inc., and director Joel Schumacher in Bangkok, in January 2005. Gerald Green and his wife Patricia have been arrested for paying 1.7 million dollars in bribes to a Thailand government official for the right to manage the festival, according to the Justice Department

A Los Angeles-based businessman and his wife have been arrested for paying 1.7 million dollars in bribes to a Thailand government official for the right to manage the Bangkok International Film Festival, the Justice Department said Tuesday.

Gerald Green, 75, and his wife Patricia, 52, were arrested after a criminal complaint was filed in Los Angeles on December 7.

Investigators allege the couple conspired to pay more than 1.7 million dollars in bribes to a senior official with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to win a film festival contract and other deals worth more than 10 million dollars.

A Justice Department statement said the Greens set up a company -- Film Festival Management -- in 2003 to bid for the rights to stage the Bangkok International Film Festival.

Between 2003 and 2007 the Greens allegedly funneled cash to the Thai tourism official who used the money to influence the awarding of the contracts for the film festival, which is run by the TAT.

The recipient of the alleged bribes was not identified in the Justice Department statement.

The Greens face up to 10 years in prison if convicted on all charges, the statement said.

The Bangkok International Film Festival is one of the biggest events of its kind in Asia and has been held annually since 2002.

Source: AFP - 19 December 2007

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

The recipient of the bribe apparently did not get into any trouble. Perhaps he spread it around to the right people.

[John K]

Anyone can dance with the devil if they want.

[sriracha john]

A group photo of 2005 Bangkok International Film Festival private dinner (L-R) Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Juthamas Siriwan

The recipient of the alleged bribes was not identified in the Justice Department statement.

Perhaps the recipient was "unforgettable."

V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V

[Rajah]

US couple arrested in Bangkok Film Festival graft probe: justice

The recipient of the alleged bribes was not identified in the Justice Department statement.

"The complaint did not directly name the allegedly involved Thai official. But it said "she" was president of the Bangkok International Film Festival and governor of the TAT.

The only person apparently meeting that description is Juthamas Siriwan."

Source: Bangkok Post

[sriracha john]

They seem to have a very cosy relationship going back several years at least, in business dealings, with a different company name then, of an entirely different festival...

The driving force behind the Pattaya Music Festival, TAT Governor Juthamas Siriwan, was recently seen at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort during the 3-day festival, together with Gerald Green, president of Viridian Entertainment.

- Pattaya Mail / April 17, 2003

[sriracha john]

To: NATIONAL EDITORS

- U.S. Department of Justice Press Release

Film Executive and Spouse Arrested for Paying Bribes to a Thai Tourism Official to Obtain Lucrative Film Festival Management Contracts

WASHINGTON -- A Los Angeles film executive and his spouse were arrested today on allegations of making corrupt payments to a Thai government official in order to obtain lucrative contracts to run an international film festival in Bangkok, in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), the Justice Department announced today.

Gerald Green, 75, and his wife Patricia Green, 52, both of Los Angeles, were arrested on a criminal complaint filed on Dec. 7, 2007, in federal court in Los Angeles and unsealed today. The complaint alleges that the Greens conspired to make more than $1.7 million in bribe payments for the benefit of a government official with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in order to obtain the film festival contract and other contracts with TAT worth more than $10 million.

Gerald Green and Patricia Green owned and operated Film Festival Management, a Los Angeles-based business that was formed in 2003 specifically to bid for the management contract for the annual Bangkok International Film Festival (BKKIFF). The complaint alleges that from 2003 and continuing into 2007, the Greens conspired with others to bribe a senior Thai government official who was, at the time, the President of the BKKIFF and the Governor of the TAT. As a result of her position at the TAT, the Governor was able to influence the awarding of the BKKIFF contracts as well as other TAT contracts. More than $1.7 million in payments were allegedly made for the benefit of the Governor.

The complaint also alleges that the Greens attempted to conceal their bribery, including using different business entities, some with dummy business addresses and telephone numbers, in their dealings with the TAT in order to hide the large amount of money the Greens were being paid under the contracts; and by making commission payments to the Governor through the foreign bank accounts of intermediaries.

The conspiracy and FCPA allegations each carry a maximum of five years in prison.

The criminal case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Jonathan E. Lopez of the Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Searby of the Central District of California. The case is being investigated by agents of the FBI, Los Angeles Field Office.

Edited December 19, 2007 by sriracha john

[ChiangMaiAmerican]

I guess she will be transfered to the dreaded inactive post and all will be forgotten. After all, this this is Thailand.

Edited December 19, 2007 by ChiangMaiAmerican

[sriracha john]

Birds aka crooks of a feather.....The Governor of TAT was appointed by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra..... and assumed her position in January 2002.

Juthamas makes it to the top

When Juthamas Siriwan attended the Bangkok 2002 Countdown Party at the World Trade Centre on New Year's eve with Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra she could also have been counting down the hours to her appointment as governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

- The Nation / Jan. 4, 2002

[Gumballl]

The Thai official will probably be awarded a "self sufficiency" award.

[sriracha john]

I guess she will be transfered to the dreaded inactive post and all will be forgotten. After all, this this is Thailand.

No, she and over-inflated salary were dumped by the current government as part of the Thaksin cleaning-house initiative.

[ChiangMaiAmerican]

I guess she will be transfered to the dreaded inactive post and all will be forgotten. After all, this this is Thailand.

No, she and over-inflated salary were dumped by the current government as part of the Thaksin cleaning-house initiative.

She wasn't dumped but moved to the position of "Senior Advisor". I suspect even in that position she still receives and inflacted salary but not as much as before.

Edited December 19, 2007 by ChiangMaiAmerican

[sriracha john]

Indeed the astute woman, who oversaw the "Unforgettable Thailand" slogan was overpaid and the current Governor makes a lot less... Thanks, Thaksin.

...and while you're looking up that old thread, yamaha

here's a little tidbit to consider about the folks that Thaksin was paying like the highly astute and extremely analytical thinking mind of the illustrious T.A.T. boss.

Her renumeration package was a cool 1/2 million baht per month (or 4 times what the current Prime Minister is paid):

Published on Dec 29, 2006

...former governor Juthamas Siriwan, who had a monthly salary of Bt340,000 and benefits of Bt150,000 to Bt200,000.

- The Nation

The slogan campaign was also dumped by the current government by this thaivisa thread:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...=100894&hl=

"Thailand Unforgettable" Campaign To Be Dropped

[sriracha john]

A taste of this woman's tainted history on Thaivisa:

Thais abandon hunt for tsunami dead

BANGKOK: -- Thai authorities are calling off their operation to identify the bodies of tsunami victims because they say that it is hampering attempts to lure tourists.

Families of more than 100 Britons still unaccounted for in Thailand will be outraged at the decision, taken in secret by government officials. Next of kin were promised that the international effort to identify victims would continue until the last body was returned home, no matter how long it took.

Juthamas Siriwan, the Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said that holidaymakers did not want to be reminded of the tragedy, so foreign volunteers would be sent home and identification sites closed.

--timesonline.co.uk 2005-03-20

Elite Card firm vows to pay ad bills soon

Thailand Privilege Card (TPC), the state-owned operator of the Elite Card membership programme, plans to pay all of its international advertising bills by the end of this year in order to regain credibility among its members and the public.

TPC chairman Somchainuk Engtrakul said the company would speedily resolve all of its problems as it had been affected by nearly a year of negative publicity.

The Office of the Attorney General is investigating who authorised the purchase of 147 million baht worth of advertising for the Thailand Elite Card on CNN and in Time, Fortune and Japan's President magazine.

The TPC board is investigating the involvement of TAT governor Juthamas Siriwan......

The Elite Card programme, the brainchild of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra as a new way to promote Thailand's tourism industry, has got off to very slow start. To date, only 600 of the one-million-baht cards have been sold or given away.

Bangkok Post

Murder of British tourists deals blow to tourism

BANGKOK: -- The governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Mrs. Juthamas Siriwan, today admitted that last week's murder of a young British couple in the western province of Kanchanaburi had served to damage Thailand's reputation as a tourist destination.

Speaking five days after the fatal shooting of Vanessa Arscott and Adam Lloyd, which has drawn media attention across the globe, Mrs. Juthamas Siriwan said that the intense media coverage of the murder would have an inevitable impact on the local tourist industry.

Edited December 19, 2007 by sriracha john

[sriracha john]

Couple accused of bribing Thai official for film fest contract

LOS ANGELES - A West Hollywood couple have been arrested for allegedly bribing a Thai government official in order to run an international film festival in Bangkok.

U.S. Justice Department officials say 75-year-old Gerald Green and his 52-year-old wife, Patricia, were arrested today on a criminal complaint that claims they conspired to bribe a Thai tourism agency official more than $1.7 million.

The complaint alleges that the Greens sought to obtain film festival- and other tourism-related contracts worth over $10 million.

They are also accused of attempting to cover up their bribery by using different business entities, some with phony addresses and telephone numbers.

- Associated Press

[sriracha john]

There was never a want for money with her Thaksin budgeting.... but apparently there STILL wasn't enough till-dipping to suit her

Thailand again increases budget for resort tourism

The government gave the Tourism Authority an additional 2.5 Billion Baht, or about $61 million, last month to help the industry, which accounted for 6.4 percent of the economy in 2004. Most of the original 4.6 Billion baht annual budget was spent in the first half of the year, the governor of the authority, Juthamas Siriwan, said in July.

--IHT 2005-08-22

[surinmike]

well the recipient of the funds now gets her fifteen minutes and they well get there slap on the hands back in the USA...

[Phil Conners]

Well it was US who arrested the briber as the law broken was US, hence no mention of who took the bribe as we all know it's not (very) illegal to receive bribes of 1.7M baht here...

Sheesh...

[blaze]

I believe she is also running in the current election on the Puea Pandin Party -(in fact she is deputy leader) and has promised to elevate the role of Buddhism in society. http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=52,5351,0,0,1,0

[Payboy]

illegal to receive bribes of 1.7M baht here...

1.7m usd - but that's irrelevant what matters really is whether she will be prosecuted and do her 48 hours community service...

[lingyai]

Who knew the festival was that lucrative? I am trying to think if I ever went to one.

It seems it was always just some films with a few actors/ directors showing up to talk. 10 mil seems a big budget for that.

[seykota]

No, she and over-inflated salary were dumped by the current government as part of the Thaksin cleaning-house initiative.

The Junta needed to free up funds to spend billions on the armed forces. There will be no backhanders or bribes there, of course not, no sirree.

Hang on, why was the purchase of those Ukrainian Armoured Personnel Carriers put on hold again?

Agreed, if the PPP win the election and are allowed to form a government (doubtful), it will be very interesting to see what backhanders etc are uncovered from the past 15 months of military rule.

Perhaps the "Thaksin cleaning-house initiative" will be followed by a cleaning house initiative of positions created and filled by an unelected military backed government.

[sriracha john]

The accused is also an executive producer of movies and film financier.... wonder why he'd be interested in managing a film festival...

NANJING -- The 1937 invasion by Japanese troops of the city that was then China's capital was dubbed "The Rape of Nanking," with memories of that massacre still causing anguish to many Chinese. Now a slew of films will revisit the trauma. The most high-profile is a $50 million-$60 million project being put together by producer Gerald Green's Viridian Entertainment and by the Jiangsu provincial government.

- Variety

---------------------------------------------------

Rescue Dawn (2006). Filmed in Thailand. Executive Producer-Gerald Green

- Variety

----------------------------------------------------

[KireB]

Nothing will happen probably, but one things is sure: Thailand maintains its international reputation!

Land of the oldest profession in the world, coup d'etats every 3 years and corrupt government officials!

Amazing land of smiles!

[sriracha john]

Who knew the festival was that lucrative? I am trying to think if I ever went to one.

It seems it was always just some films with a few actors/ directors showing up to talk. 10 mil seems a big budget for that.

There was HUGE money at stake involving the spin-off industry from the festival itself. An insider to this sort of money would see big return on his bribes later on if he could manage/manipulate a film festival.

Branding the 'Hollywood of Asia'

The government of Thailand, under the administration of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, has shown its savvy in attempting to brand Thailand as, variously, the Detroit of Asia, the fashion capital of Asia, the tourism capital of Asia and more recently, the ''Hollywood of Asia''. Events such as the Bangkok International Film Festival have also generated some positive buzz among Hollywood filmmakers, Thai filmmakers, as well as the Tourism Authority of Thailand and local cinema screening houses.

Thai government officials have released statistics indicating that film projects have increased in terms of both volume and value. Last year, 441 foreign film productions _ from feature films to TV series, music videos and commercials _ were shot in Thailand, with a total value of 1.13 billion baht. The figures represent substantial growth from the 1998 totals of 291 productions worth 400 million baht. The best year to date was 2002 when 481 productions worth 1.4 billion baht took place.

- Bangkok Post / October 07, 2005

[Dakhar]

Sounds like they got in trouble for using culturally sensitive busines practicies (AKA, Tea Money).

[meemiathai]

Corruption is daily routine among rich people in the world. No big deal. Just careless or unlucky this time for the Greens.

Why would a 75 yr old person be suddenly greedy at one moment? It just shows that it is usual practice.

I see corruption everyday here in HK.

[Asianatic]

The Greens face up to 10 years in prison if convicted on all charges, the statement said.

No problem, they will bribe themselve out of the Bangkok Hilton.

[Prakanong]

The Greens face up to 10 years in prison if convicted on all charges, the statement said.

No problem, they will bribe themselve out of the Bangkok Hilton.

Are they not charged in America - why would they go to jail in Thailand?

[sriracha john]

Another example to the film festival tie-in... where it could well be worth any money given to the President of the Festival to be selected to control it... and to have that same person as another important tie-in to the film industry, the TAT, through it's Govenor... just makes it all the more attractive and convenient, as well...

Bangkok Film Market 2005, Southeast Asia’s Largest, Opens Today for Five-Day Run

Expect more than 500 individual attendees to negotiate deals and contracts in excess of $250 million

The second annual Bangkok Film Market, Southeast Asia’s largest event of its kind, opens today for a five day run at the Shangri-La Hotel in Bangkok. For the second year, the film market is co-located with the two-week long Bangkok International Film Festival which is screening more than 170 films from around the world and has already drawn several thousand film makers, film lovers, and media to Bangkok.

bangkokfilm.org / January 17, 2005

===================================================

JUTHAMAS SIRIWAN

Governor, Tourism Authority of Thailand

President, 2005 Bangkok International Film Festival