The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Thailand's Economic Crime Investigation Division recently launched the "CIB Nominee Sweep EP.3" operation, conducting surprise inspections on three "nominee companies" set up by Chinese capital in Rayong and Chonburi provinces. They seized a large amount of evidence related to illegal land purchase projects and arrested 11 suspects of Chinese and Thai nationality.
This investigation revealed that these companies used Thai nationals to hold shares on their behalf, concealing the real structure of Chinese capital control behind them, and circumventing foreign investment restrictions. Between 2023 and 2024, these enterprises successively purchased 7 plots of land, covering an area of 72 rai (approximately 115,200 square meters), planning to build 10 buildings, each with 8 floors, totaling 1821 units of high-end apartments, with a total investment exceeding 2 billion Thai baht.
The police conducted simultaneous raids at three target locations in Nikhom Phatthana District of Rayong and Bang Lamung District of Chonburi, seizing land deeds, bank accounts, company seals, and equipment as key evidence, including 48 Thai-Chinese bank account passbooks (involving more than 72 million Thai baht in transaction funds) and land documents worth about 36 million Thai baht.
The investigation confirmed that these companies used ordinary Thai employees (such as salespeople and drivers) to register as directors and shareholders, who actually did not invest or participate in the management. The actual operators behind the scenes were Chinese capital groups, even controlling the entire project operation chain—including development, design, construction, and concrete production—and employing a large number of Chinese workers, engineers, and technicians.
Additionally, the police traced a substantial remittance from a registered parent company in Hong Kong, amounting to over 500 million Thai baht, used to support the project construction, further confirming the Chinese capital background.
Currently, the Thai police have prosecuted 4 companies and 5 Chinese and Thai directors/shareholders under the Foreign Business Act of 1999, and 6 Chinese nationals for illegal employment under the Foreign Workers Management Act of 2017. The police stated that they would legally handle the involved lands and recover illegal assets.
The police urge Thai citizens not to provide nominee services for foreign capital, as it involves illegality and poses risks to the national economy.
