Luxury car duo to face charges

[Lite Beer]

Luxury car duo to face charges
Piyanut Tamnukasetchai
The Nation on Sunday

BANGKOK: -- The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) will push for prosecution of car tax-evasion suspects Nareunart and Thanan Kuansawat for trying to destroy a Ferrari's engine number after a forensic probe found a plate covering the engine's original number.

Meanwhile, annual renewal of luxury car permits will soon be require an examination in Bangkok only, to screen out and punish people evading tax.

DSI chief Tarit Pengdith said yesterday the duo's lawyer had earlier admitted that they had bought the six luxury cars, which were burned in Nakhon Ratchasima in May. This was in line with evidence the DSI obtained that the duo hired a trailer-truck company to transport the cars for registration in Si Sa Ket.

He said the duo, besides a charge of tax evasion, could also face charges of car engine-number forgery and faulty import declarations to the Custom Department.

A source at the DSI said that the Ferrari engine forgery was allegedly to obtain a new car registration number from the Thai authority, which would be used for another car. It was found that original engine numbers of the other burnt-out cars were also scratched out.

The source said Nareunart might also face a charge of a false declaration to Customs because the import document for the burnt Ferrari, which Nareunart had before selling the vehicle to Bio-power System, said the imported parts were for a Benz but later were reassembled into a Ferrari, and a separate registration bid was filed for that.

Tarit said officials had made progress in examining luxury cars worth more than Bt4 million, if they were reassembled vehicles as registered. He said 176 cars had been submitted for the probe, so the DSI extended the period for another week, as 200 cars were expected to turn up.

However, the owners of 400 cars had ignored the probe, so the DSI would set a standard for car inspection for the Land Transport Department to use as part of the annual renewal of registration, which would only be done in Bangkok, he said.

If it was suspected that no tax had been paid on a car, the Land Transport Department could pass the case to Customs to assess appropriate tax and fines for the car owner to pay, or else the car would become state property, he added.

-- The Nation 2013-06-30

[NongKhaiKid]

What's the charge, not being well enough connected ?

[worgeordie]

Sacrificial lambs, what about the people that bought these cars,sure they did not

know they were not kosher ! right, but they still have the cars, do not think any have

been taken off them.so in Thailand crime does pay,if you are rich you just get away

with it.

regards Worgeordie

[Sunisalom]

My daddy has Ferrari tractor. It is red.

[harrry]

A lot of unregistered untaxed vehicles are going to be on the roads...

[Gomyway]

My daddy has Ferrari tractor. It is red.

As I remember the red one is a Porsche

[WhizBang]

What about investigating customs? None of this happened without complicit help from customs officials.

[scorecard]

Sacrificial lambs, what about the people that bought these cars,sure they did not

know they were not kosher ! right, but they still have the cars, do not think any have

been taken off them.so in Thailand crime does pay,if you are rich you just get away

with it.

regards Worgeordie

And why were these cars headed for Si Sa Ket for registration etc?

Is that the easiest (more likely cheapest) place to do the tango with

officials? Surely the DSI should be investigating this angle also.

[Baerboxer]

Give Tarit a break please! DSI have caught two criminal masterminds, avoided any complicity or connection with PTP and the civil service, and managed to accuse someone other than Abhisit.

All in a days work for Thailand's J.Edgar

[deecee10]

If the import tax on luxury cars were set at a reasonable level, then all this clandestine subterfuge wouldn't be worth the trouble.

The government would probably collect more tax anyway.

[MaxLee]

Yes, the dynamic Duo, cherry picked as the scapegoat,... a case for the DSI

[ezzra]

What about investigating customs? None of this happened without complicit help from customs officials.

Sure can, but who will investigate to investigators? more investigators, more committees,

study group, " special force/unite? where will it end? the whole country is corrupt to the

the core, this is the way of like here, it has been like that for centuries and it will go on

like that, give or take, for centuries more, you can dress, make up, coiffure and doll

up and ugly women to be this specular looking broad, but inside, deep down she's

still an ugly women,( and old proverb)

[wombat]

"the imported parts were for a Benz but later were reassembled into a Ferrari"

now "that's" what i call sleight of hand

[ratcatcher]

My daddy has Ferrari tractor. It is red.

That's good. Now he's a rich farmer, he can also afford a Lamborghini tractor like this.

Just don't try to switch it to LPG.

[timewilltell]

Just the result of corruption eating away at Thai society like cancer. No wonder so many Thai people have become utterly selfish.

[dahinni]

Just the result of corruption eating away at Thai society like cancer. No wonder so many Thai people have become utterly selfish.

what said above , is just what it is

poll said so long they (thai's) benefit, all good

[Tatsujin]

What about investigating customs? None of this happened without complicit help from customs officials.

None of this happened without the approval of those MUCH higher up the Government/Ministerial food chain that any customs officials.

[Tatsujin]

Just the result of corruption eating away at Thai society like cancer. No wonder so many Thai people have become utterly selfish.

Become? I think that in a lot of cases, it's always been that way.

[samuilongtime]

Until the Thais start to punish officials such as bent Customs Officers,Police Officers,Immigration Officers,Civil Servants in key jobs such as people in the Transport Offices,Planning Office etc corruption and graft will carry on unheeded.The two guys who ran this company have obviously been up to no good but without a lot of officials helping them every step of the way they would not have got these cars into the country and onto the roads.This subject gets me riled because a few years ago I wanted to send a car from the U.K and was quoted a stupid amount of money to do so,Another poster suggested that the crazy amount of import tax on cars and luxury goods is brought down to a reasonable level,I agree that if they do this the temptation to cheat the system would be somewhat lessened.The D.S.I are probably scared to question all the officials involved in this case which is not how it should be,it doesnt take Sherlock Holmes to see where the blame lies,at the port of entry where the cars were unloaded would be a good place to start.

Edited June 30, 2013 by metisdead
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[ChrisY1]

Great news......they got 2 for slaughter.....what about the other 10000 car owners each year......

This will all be history in a week or so!

[Thereisnoif]

Until the Thais start to punish officials such as bent Customs Officers,Police Officers,Immigration Officers,Civil Servants in key jobs such as people in the Transport Offices,Planning Office etc corruption and graft will carry on unheeded.The two guys who ran this company have obviously been up to no good but without a lot of officials helping them every step of the way they would not have got these cars into the country and onto the roads.This subject gets me riled because a few years ago I wanted to send a car from the U.K and was quoted a stupid amount of money to do so,Another poster suggested that the crazy amount of import tax on cars and luxury goods is brought down to a reasonable level,I agree that if they do this the temptation to cheat the system would be somewhat lessened.The D.S.I are probably scared to question all the officials involved in this case which is not how it should be,it doesnt take Sherlock Holmes to see where the blame lies,at the port of entry where the cars were unloaded would be a good place to start.

Wishful thinking. It takes balls to overrun a corrupt society . It cannot be done in a politically correct way, let alone in the thai feudal way of things . Heads need to start rolling.

[Thai at Heart]

Until the Thais start to punish officials such as bent Customs Officers,Police Officers,Immigration Officers,Civil Servants in key jobs such as people in the Transport Offices,Planning Office etc corruption and graft will carry on unheeded.The two guys who ran this company have obviously been up to no good but without a lot of officials helping them every step of the way they would not have got these cars into the country and onto the roads.This subject gets me riled because a few years ago I wanted to send a car from the U.K and was quoted a stupid amount of money to do so,Another poster suggested that the crazy amount of import tax on cars and luxury goods is brought down to a reasonable level,I agree that if they do this the temptation to cheat the system would be somewhat lessened.The D.S.I are probably scared to question all the officials involved in this case which is not how it should be,it doesnt take Sherlock Holmes to see where the blame lies,at the port of entry where the cars were unloaded would be a good place to start.

Wishful thinking. It takes balls to overrun a corrupt society . It cannot be done in a politically correct way, let alone in the thai feudal way of things . Heads need to start rolling.

There wouldn't be anyone left to administer anything.

Even the coffee woman gets a kick back from the local shop when she buys nescafe, and the gardener is on the take for strimmer nylon.

[hkt83100]

My daddy has Ferrari tractor. It is red.

As I remember the red one is a Porsche

That is the model with 23 HP, if I remember correctly. The Porsche Diesel Junior had 16 HP. I was about 12 years old when I was driving these ones, taking straw from the field on two trailers...

[Tboy928]

"the imported parts were for a Benz but later were reassembled into a Ferrari"

now "that's" what i call sleight of hand

Pretty stupid, even a monkey would know that is impossible set up ))

[Tboy928]

What's the charge, not being well enough connected ?

was offered New Mercedes SLK for 1,9 mill bath and a Honda Jazz for 250 000 some years ago, but had to go Bangkok and pay it cash, also if i wanted sell the car and change registration, i had to go back to the sellers, to have them change it ,or sell the car for me again. Was nothing wrong with the price, but slk is a lady car with too small engine..

[bangon04]

"the imported parts were for a Benz but later were reassembled into a Ferrari"

now "that's" what i call sleight of hand

I guess you need the blessing of a monk with supernatural powers to achieve such a miracle

[Pib]

However, the owners of 400 cars had ignored the probe, so the DSI would set a standard for car inspection for the Land Transport Department to use as part of the annual renewal of registration, which would only be done in Bangkok, he said.

400 car owners just ignored the probe....me thinks many of those owners know or suspect the tax was not paid on their car and hoping the issue just fades away--which it probably will. Thai's just ignoring the law for various reasons combined with govt agencies/police who also ignore or selectively enforce the laws just keeps Thailand mired in the highly corrupted status quo, with the status quo being good for the rich; bad for the poor. Also a shame the tax on these cars is so ridiculously high...200-300%...no wonder so many people try to cheat the system.

[SOTIRIOS]

.......meanwhile, fortunes have been made..'scott-free'.........

.....(give up 'peanuts' and claim a victory)....

[Farangdam]

one month jail times scapegoat which later will be filthy rich upon released who does not want...if got lucky the cases will fade away and nobody cares like the a.m.. u know, we know, i know

[bander]

What about investigating customs? None of this happened without complicit help from customs officials.

To late to investigate them, they spend all the bribe money already, better to get the big guys with big wallets