Car importer arrested after suing DSI over showroom raids

By The Nation

 

 

Super-car importer Panusak “Boy Unity” Techaterasiri was arrested on Wednesday afternoon after he filed suit against the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) over May 24 raids on his showrooms.

 

Panusak earlier on Wednesday filed a lawsuit at the Bangkok’s Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases over the DSI’s raids in which more than 30 vehicles were seized. The court scheduled an initial hearing on June 27.

 

Crime Suppression Division officers then arrested him at 3pm in front of the court reportedly on a public fraud charge. He was then brought to the division’s head office to be questioned.

 

The May raids were part of an ongoing DSI investigation into the evasion of taxes on car imports and the theft of vehicles in Britain. 

 

Panusak had previously sued 12 DSI officers in a civil lawsuit demanding Bt50-million compensation at the Southern Bangkok Civil Court because the “unlawful” raids and impounding of cars at his two showrooms had dealt his company a heavy financial blow. 

 

He said all of the luxury cars impounded by the DSI had been imported in accordance with proper procedures.

 

On Tuesday, a source at the DSI said that the UK-based National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) had learned that Panusak had opened a company to buy luxury cars in Britain that had not been fully paid for on instalment plans to be sent for sale in Thailand. When the cars were sold, owners were paid enough money to repay their car-finance companies. 

 

NaVCIS was also quoted on Tuesday by DSI chief Pol Colonel Paisit Wongmuang as having confirmed that 13 cars the DSI had seized, including some confiscated from Panusak’s showrooms, were suspected to have been stolen in Britain.

 

The DSI was preparing to file charges related to tax evasion against the importers and people allegedly involved in fraudulent import declarations of an initial batch of 32 luxury cars after the Customs Department submits a tax assessment report to the DSI on Friday.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/breakingnews/30318074

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-6-14

Would he have been arrested if he hadn't filed the lawsuit? This country is horribly corrupt and lawless. 

he wanted to fight a bigger shark and he got swallowed!

Like they say, people who live in glass houses do not throw stones...

This reeks of discrimination. Where's his mineral water, coffee and cookies?

What's annoying is that the story started out as 'stolen cars recovered in Thailand'. Now it seems we have a 'Thai authorities are angry because they may have missed out on some punitive tax collection'.

 

There are many businesses here running very carefully within the rules - but these idiots are getting very excited that they might be getting skimmed on their pound of flesh.

You couldnt make this up.

You file charges, but we have more clout than you, so we will get you.

guy challenges big dogs and loses

Don't poke the DSI bear. 

Rather than secretly interrogate him back in their cells,

why not he clam up,

and make them wait to question him - in open Court

 

 

after all, he's already got that court appearance arranged...

16 minutes ago, ben2talk said:

What's annoying is that the story started out as 'stolen cars recovered in Thailand'. Now it seems we have a 'Thai authorities are angry because they may have missed out on some punitive tax collection'.

 

There are many businesses here running very carefully within the rules - but these idiots are getting very excited that they might be getting skimmed on their pound of flesh.

 

The story started as cars confiscated for not paying import duties, and later the stolen cars were discovered among those confiscated cars.

Reminds me of the guy who had his dope stash ripped off and went to the cops and demanded the thief's arrest.  He was selling stolen cars, for God's sake.

Panusak “Boy Unity” Techaterasiri 

 

I'm getting to like these nicknames.  Remember 'Benz Racing'?

 

Henceforth, I want to be known as Simon "Massive John Thomas" 43

3 hours ago, rkidlad said:

Would he have been arrested if he hadn't filed the lawsuit? This country is horribly corrupt and lawless. 

I agree this country is very corrupt.

 

However, I suspect you have this one back to front. Panusak is a key player in the importation and retail of stolen cars from the UK. The DSI was forced to launch the raids after the British police had done all the legwork and pinpointed the key suspects and shown to the Thai authorities who was involved and how the network worked. (Clearly the network involved Thai authorities, most certainly Customs). This embarrassed the authorities forcing them to act.

 

Panusak is employing the the best form of defence, namely offence. However he is in a very weak position since all the evidence has been laid out on a plate by the UK police. By dragging the police into it, he is hoping to reach a compromise. He wants his cars back. He is out of pocket or in hock to some very heavy hitters. He will work it out one way or another but it will cost him.

13 minutes ago, simon43 said:

 

 

 

I'm getting to like these nicknames.  Remember 'Benz Racing'?

 

Henceforth, I want to be known as Simon "Massive John Thomas" 43

I met just someone at the weekend called 'Grade A'. Safe to say we won't be becoming friends. 

1 minute ago, Briggsy said:

I agree this country is very corrupt.

 

However, I suspect you have this one back to front. Panusak is a key player in the importation and retail of stolen cars from the UK. The DSI was forced to launch the raids after the British police had done all the legwork and pinpointed the key suspects and shown to the Thai authorities who was involved and how the network worked. (Clearly the network involved Thai authorities, most certainly Customs). This embarrassed the authorities forcing them to act.

 

Panusak is employing the the best form of defence, namely offence. However he is in a very weak position since all the evidence has been laid out on a plate by the UK police. By dragging the police into it, he is hoping to reach a compromise. He wants his cars back. He is out of pocket or in hock to some very heavy hitters. He will work it out one way or another but it will cost him.

Yea, it's a sad state of affairs when you don't know who to trust more, the Thai FBI or some dodgy car dealer. Safe to put zero trust in either. 

Whoops

12 minutes ago, rkidlad said:

I met just someone at the weekend called 'Grade A'. Safe to say we won't be becoming friends. 

Why? Sounds like a good egg to me.

A classic case of when "Do you know who I am?!" goes wrong.

this is hilarious AF! the dude got too comfortable and forgot who's really in charge. 

13 hours ago, rkidlad said:

Would he have been arrested if he hadn't filed the lawsuit? This country is horribly corrupt and lawless. 

this stinks

14 hours ago, rkidlad said:

Would he have been arrested if he hadn't filed the lawsuit? This country is horribly corrupt and lawless. 

Should someone be allowed to file a lawsuit against officials carrying out their job?

oh-ohh, the DSI has detention cells where the cctv isn't working...

Well you can sue for defamation, and win, even if the plaintiff proves that what he said was true......amazing Thailand

On 6/15/2017 at 0:56 AM, trogers said:

Like they say, people who live in glass houses do not throw stones...

And people in Grass Houses do not stow Thrones (upstairs)

Why sue the DSI ? They just did their job. How about all the cars stolen from the UK? Nobody will own a showroom and put cars up for sale without knowing the origins.

Boy Unity.....aka, Boy NitWit (for challenging DSI? )

 

 

good, bad or indifferent, guilty or innocent, I doubt  things like this will encourage proactive investment from honest straight forward Thai or foreign involved business people.