Customs to auction seized luxury cars but under question by former finance minister



BANGKOK: -- The Customs Department is to hold auction of seized luxury cars on July 3.

Chief of Union Auction’s managing director office Mr Burananis Yuktanan said this year will see almost 400 luxury put for grabs.

The auction will be in the parking lot of the department’s headquarters in the Bangkok’s Klong Toey district on July 3 from 8.30 a.m. – 9.00 p.m.

He said Union Auction was designated by the Customs Department to hold the auction this year.

Among the almost 400 seized cars are several high-end Lamborghini, Ferrari, Bentley, Porsche, and Rolls-Royce cars will be on the block, along with other Grade A Japanese and European cars, he said.

He told people who wanted to bid not to worry about the legal consequences as all vehicles have already been legalised and protected by civil laws.

He said the company would soon announce bidding conditions and starting prices to the public.

But former finance minister Thirachai Phuvanatnaranubala doubted the auction would be clean, citing malpractices by car importing gangs.

Posted on his Facebook page, Thirachai recalled that in the past unscrupulous car dealers would smuggle luxury cars into the country with intent to have them seized by the customs officials so that they would get them back through the legal auctions at low prices.

He said the seized luxury cars were sold through auctions at low prices because these cars have no onboard computer system fixed.

The smuggling gang would remove all the computer systems from the luxury cars before smuggling them to be caught and seized for auction.

Without onboard computer system nobody would bid except these gangs, and they would get them back at low prices, he said.

Even those who bid these cars would never know where to have and find the computers fixed for them, he said.

He recalled that in the past one customs chief realised of such tactics and ordered all these incomplete cars to be destroyed rather than put on auction.

This prompted complaints to the Office of the Auditor General with reason that it would be the state loss to destroy these cars. They should be put on auction to generate revenues to the state.

He questioned if such practice still exists in this auction which many super cars are up for grabs.

He proposed that the bidding conditions should state that all cars auctioned off must be exported.

Prior to the auction the Customs Department should also notify manufacturers of these luxury cars that Thailand is to hold auctions of their cars so that could notify their dealers in other country to enter the auction.

However, these cars are in good condition but couldn’t work because the computer system are removed.

Furthermore, he suggested that winer of the auction must pay special taxes based on factory price list and not auction price.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/customs-auction-seized-luxury-cars-question-former-finance-minister/


-- Thai PBS 2014-06-20

Given the current time, i would suggest there will be very few bidders at all for the cars, when any purchaser's funds are likely to come under scrutiny.

"former finance minister Thirachai Phuvanatnaranubala" seems to know a little too much about how to make money from having these computer-less cars seized, bought back at auction, refitted and sold at a huge profit.

I suppose he could be just very good at his job.

Every sector of Thai society, is tainted with corruption!

Every sector of Thai society, is tainted with corruption!

No Sir, I do not agree with you.

Every sector of Thai society, is tainted with corruption!

No Sir, I do not agree with you.

Then you sir, are naive.

totster

Posted on his Facebook page, Thirachai recalled that in the past unscrupulous car dealers would smuggle luxury cars into the country with intent to have them seized by the customs officials so that they would get them back through the legal auctions at low prices.

Sorry If I'm being stupid, but that sounds like a terrible idea. Whether they bought these cars and then smuggled them in with the intention of being caught, or they were stolen and then smuggled in to be bought cheaply doesn't sound great. What if the cars are not sold cheaply? What if someone pays a million baht less than the value from a showroom.

It seems like a lot of time, work and money on the off chance you can buy them back cheaply.

Don't have my glasses handy but I can't quite make out a certain pink Bentley in the photo. You know, the one that was "owned" by a Singaporean chappy that lent it to a son's friend BS bla bla. Surely that motor will be in this sale, or has it not yet been seized?

Maybe they could check to see if all the cars are complete and functioning before the auction !!!

Ah, this time they actually tell there's going to be an auction. Used to be insider info.

Rkidlad,not everyone is brave enough to bid on those cars.Can be very dangerous if you know what i mean.

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Every sector of Thai society, is tainted with corruption!

No Sir, I do not agree with you.

Then you sir, are naive.

totster

Then NAIVE I am.

There is a good chance to nab this red bull killer, fugitive kid, maybe he will attend the

auction to pick up a bargain seeing all those fellalees there.....

More important is full disclosure of the guilty gits, live on channel 3! I wonder.

Most of the vehicles (107 units) are Toyota. The bulk also contains 33 Mercedes Benz, 12 BMW, 6 Jaguar and 2 Ferrari. A black automatic Ferrari F430 is attached with the highest start price, at Bt5.15 million.

The auction will start at 10am at the department's office in Khlong Toei.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/2011/06/24/business/Customs-to-auction-216-vehicles-30158631.html

Thailand should stop charging so much tax on luxury cars than they would have allot less headache in this sector.

Most of the vehicles (107 units) are Toyota. The bulk also contains 33 Mercedes Benz, 12 BMW, 6 Jaguar and 2 Ferrari. A black automatic Ferrari F430 is attached with the highest start price, at Bt5.15 million.

The auction will start at 10am at the department's office in Khlong Toei.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/2011/06/24/business/Customs-to-auction-216-vehicles-30158631.html

Might be a good idea to check the dates on your link Khun Aussie.

I'm fairly certain we are half way through 2014, not 2011 again. However many things are possible in this Country, so I maybe wrong.

He is right - I was told long ago that seized cars would be bought by the gangs at auction that had them seized. They go through the washer and come out clean.

Every sector of Thai society, is tainted with corruption!

No Sir, I do not agree with you.

Then you sir, are naive.

totster

Nope, he just knows more about Thailand than you do.

Presents for the junta big boss man, throw a few flowers in too

Given the current time, i would suggest there will be very few bidders at all for the cars, when any purchaser's funds are likely to come under scrutiny.

I just wanted to write that most probably they will be bought for almost nothing by the smuggler themself. Who want to bid against it gets a bullet.....

But yes surely Super-Prayuth has the solution...just check the background of the bidders

He is right.

Given the current time, i would suggest there will be very few bidders at all for the cars, when any purchaser's funds are likely to come under scrutiny.

Which means the cars will go for a fair price to honest bidders. That'll make a nice change.

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<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Every sector of Thai society, is tainted with corruption!

No Sir, I do not agree with you.

Then you sir, are naive.

totster

Then NAIVE I am.

Naive or not there, there are a majority of very good people in every sector of Thai society.

Why do we have to focus on the bad tainted minority rather we by our action should encourage the good!

Just have the cars crushed much easier solution it’s not the government that purchased them and removed the computers so no loss to government revenue only the smugglers would lose out, and they might think twice about doing it again.

Why would you buy a car, then smuggle it into the country, deliberately get caught just so you could buy it back again, so you end up paying twice for a car??? how much profit/loss were they planning to make???

I would like to start the bid at 25 satung, for the $600,000.00 Lamborghini

Posted on his Facebook page, Thirachai recalled that in the past unscrupulous car dealers would smuggle luxury cars into the country with intent to have them seized by the customs officials so that they would get them back through the legal auctions at low prices.

Sorry If I'm being stupid, but that sounds like a terrible idea. Whether they bought these cars and then smuggled them in with the intention of being caught, or they were stolen and then smuggled in to be bought cheaply doesn't sound great. What if the cars are not sold cheaply? What if someone pays a million baht less than the value from a showroom.

It seems like a lot of time, work and money on the off chance you can buy them back cheaply.

The "Auctions" are quite blatantly fixed.

Try bidding on a car and you will be quietly approached in the crowd and "advised" to withdraw your offer.

Fact.

Patrick

The wealthy and their toys hate to be deprived. Crush theam along with the along wiith monthly rolex tapse etc. Those who want one bad enough will find a way to get one in legally

Given the current time, i would suggest there will be very few bidders at all for the cars, when any purchaser's funds are likely to come under scrutiny.

The armed services are exempt from scrutiny? But sounds dodgy auction or some of the boys are selling their cars?

Given the current time, i would suggest there will be very few bidders at all for the cars, when any purchaser's funds are likely to come under scrutiny.

You are living in a dream world.

If the Junta wanted to scrutinze all those with a lot of cash, they just need to order the banks to give them the details of every person in Thailand with more than say 200 million baht in their accounts.

You are just sniping at the junta mate.