Seven customs officials sued for abuse of power by importer of NGV buses

[rooster59]

Seven customs officials sued for abuse of power by importer of NGV buses

 

Importer of the controversial NGV buses, Super Zara Company, has filed criminal charges of abuse of power against Customs Department chief Kulis Sombatsiri and six other customs officials at the Pattaya provincial court.

 

Meanwhile, Mr Kanit Sriwachiraprapa, CEO of Bestlin Group which won the contract to supply 489 NGV buses to Bangkok Mass Transit Authority, challenged the Customs Department to produce written evidence to prove its claim that the bus fleet originated from China in fully-assembled form, and not assembled in Malaysia with local content as specified in the contract.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/seven-customs-officials-sued-abuse-power-importer-ngv-buses/

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2017-02-11

 

[ezzra]

 

Some people have  the audacity not only to try and gull and cheat their way

out of paying due taxes, but when you got caught lying and cheating, what's

the defense? offense.... sue the people that got in your way of trying to bring

in Chinese buses as a Malaysian busses...

[ukrules]

Government short of money - Check

Hold buses up in customs so delivery deadline is missed - Check

Keep deposit due to missed deadline - Check

 

Corruptus infinitus - Check !

[colinneil]

You cannot be serious man.

[greenchair]

1 hour ago, ukrules said:

Government short of money - Check

Hold buses up in customs so delivery deadline is missed - Check

Keep deposit due to missed deadline - Check

 

Corruptus infinitus - Check !

Not to mention that the bmta is trying to get out of that contract by the skin of their asshat so they can purchase 200 electric buses. 

Basically the bmta changed their minds and they are getting a little help from their friends. 

[trogers]

I wonder which court the suit is lodged...administation, criminal or civil?

[greenchair]

6 minutes ago, trogers said:

I wonder which court the suit is lodged...administation, criminal or civil?

Doesn't matter. He won't win. 

It's in the prediction of the clairvoyant. 

[Srikcir]

4 hours ago, rooster59 said:

challenged the Customs Department to produce written evidence to prove its claim that the bus fleet originated from China in fully-assembled form, and not assembled in Malaysia with local content as specified in the contract.

So many turn-arounds in this case.

 

In December 2016 Customs Department chief Kulit Sombatsiri alleged that the Bestlin Group "admitted that the first lot of 100 buses which are held up at Laem Chabang deep-sea port were imported from China and not assembled in Malaysia" 

Then Deputy Transport Minister Omsin Chivapruek said after the press report that Bestlin Group admitted that the buses originated from China and were not assembled with 40 local content in Malaysia, that "the case would be settled if Bestrin Group paid up 718 million baht for the import of the 489 buses plus 230 million baht in fines for the first 100 buses imported."

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/customs-say-bestlin-group-admits-first-100-ngv-buses-originated-china/

 

Then in January 2017 BMTA received the delivery of 291 NGV buses with 110 of them already checked by Land Transport Department, including 70-80 of them having been registered. 

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/test-run-controversial-ngv-buses-satisfactory/

 

Meanwhile Customs forced Bestlin to pay a guarantee for fines imposed on the 99 NGV buses, insisting that the measure complies with the law (action that is now part of Bestlin's abuse of power charge). It also affirmed in February 2017 that evidence has so far indicated that all 99 air-conditioned NGV buses, currently impounded and kept at Laem Chabang Port, were indeed produced and assembled in China before being imported through Malaysia

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/967761-thai-customs-dept-evidence-confirms-ngv-buses-originate-from-china/

 

Now BMTA has not paid the company for the 278 NGV buses already delivered to the bus agency, including those actually used in road tests. 

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/bestlin-group-seeks-redress-ombudsmans-office-bus-controversy/

 

If one were a conspiracist, It might appear that BMTA wants to backout of the deal by co-opting with Customs to allege Bestlin fraud to avoid import taxes/fines because BMTA's huge budget deficit can't cover the purchase (aka "ran out of money") and/or "influence payments" from Bestlin are not forthcoming. The PM needs to pay attention to this case as a contract breach by BMTA to void the purchase may not only discourage future foreign sales but affect the trade relationship between Thailand and China at a time when the Thai economy is very volitile.

 

 

[Artisi]

Just another day of smoke and mirrors in LOS. Just sit back and enjoy the free magic show. 

[optad]

There is etiquette in who and how to grease palms in Thailand. Someone screwed up. And putting the wheels on in Penang won't be enough now.  Facetime involved.

 

Totally ridiculous. They need these buses in commission.

[lonewolf99]

Every time I am in downtown Bangkok for even a short period. I have all manner of black sooty crap comes out of my nose when I blow it.

Also, I sometimes have a dry sore throat .....obviously caused by the pollution.

 

So the sooner they get the likes of these buses on the roads the better....but hey !!!!!

 

Why mess with tradition....?  just keep the old style bus that is battered to bits, uncomfortable, non air con, polluting to hell piles of crap they have used since the 1970's......

[greenchair]

As it turns out the bmta is quickly backpeddling as fast as their little legs can go to continue the purchase after all ,that's because they are fine and honourable citizens and wouldn't want to waste tax payers money on a lawsuit .

Nothing to do with the discovery that a few customs officials might have altered  documents of course. I imagine there will be some officials cowering under the covers now that the plot is unravelling. Hope nobodies got long socks. 

 

[Graemej100]

12 hours ago, ezzra said:

 

Some people have  the audacity not only to try and gull and cheat their way

out of paying due taxes, but when you got caught lying and cheating, what's

the defense? offense.... sue the people that got in your way of trying to bring

in Chinese buses as a Malaysian busses...

Sounds like he's taken lessons from Trump.

[PETERTHEEATER]

9 hours ago, trogers said:

I wonder which court the suit is lodged...administation, criminal or civil?

From the OP:

 

..........has filed criminal charges..........

[HerbalEd]

16 hours ago, ezzra said:

 

Some people have  the audacity not only to try and gull and cheat their way

out of paying due taxes, but when you got caught lying and cheating, what's

the defense? offense.... sue the people that got in your way of trying to bring

in Chinese buses as a Malaysian busses...

Yeah. Everyone knows that Thai custom officials would never do anything illegal or nefarious. They are completely innocent. 

[Artisi]

On Saturday, February 11, 2017 at 3:02 PM, greenchair said:

As it turns out the bmta is quickly backpeddling as fast as their little legs can go to continue the purchase after all ,that's because they are fine and honourable citizens and wouldn't want to waste tax payers money on a lawsuit .

Nothing to do with the discovery that a few customs officials might have altered  documents of course. I imagine there will be some officials cowering under the covers now that the plot is unravelling. Hope nobodies got long socks. 

 

Long socks can be made available to all who ask and to some who don't. 

[slapout]

Any intelligent business owner doing business in this part of the world would have insisted on payment via a letter of credit via a bank outside of Thailand, for this equipment on a F.O.B. basis. As this is such a large number and it would require more than 1 ship to transport the lot, the L/C could have allowed for partial payments depending on buses on each ship. This does require that a 3rd party varifies all conditions of the L/C are met, . (assembly and ship from Malay as part of contract, thus also the L/C) would have prevented direct shipment from China. This entire circle jerk appears to have been set up to facilite some illegal activity, was planned. If the Chinese have assembly facilities for their buses in Malay, maybe it was too small to handle the number ordered and meet the time frame being bandied around.  It sure makes some of the management of different groups involved, look a little retarded to allow people who can screw things up this badly, with sums like involved here, have the authority to do so.

[greenchair]

6 hours ago, Artisi said:

Long socks can be made available to all who ask and to some who don't. 

Maybe I could send a pair your way. 

[Srikcir]

3 hours ago, slapout said:

assembly and ship from Malay as part of contract

Can you provide the portion of the contract or reference that such is a contractual requirement?

BMTA doesn't cite as a contract requirement, albeit the AOG believes such provision is grounds for BMTA to cancel the order but also doesn't cite the contract per se. BMTA is a municipal agency under the Ministry of Transportation I believe. Why would not its foreign purchase that is used for public benefit even be subjected to customs tariffs - it's like taxing oneself.