£230k from Jersey bank returned to Thailand after corruption probe

More than £230,000 (about 10 million baht) seized from a Jersey bank account is being returned to Thailand following a high-profile investigation spearheaded by US police.

The funds were linked to a major corruption scandal allegedly involving Gerald and Patricia Martha Green, who were found guilty of bribing former Thai Tourism Authority Governor Juthamas Siriwan and her daughter, Jittisopa. The bribes, given between 2003 and 2007, secured contracts for the Greens to run projects like the prestigious Bangkok International Film Festival.

In 2009, the Greens were convicted of money laundering and bribery in the US, while the Siriwans faced their legal reckoning in Thailand for their part in the offences. Jersey’s Attorney General confirmed that a substantial sum of £236,173.81, held in a bank account owned by Siriwan, was first sent to the US before being repatriated to Thailand.

Attorney General Mark Temple KC commented on the case.

“The successful repatriation of the funds serves to underline the commitment of the Jersey authorities to draw upon both criminal and civil powers as a means to assist its overseas partners in the global fight against corruption.”

He further noted that the recovered amount represents only a fraction of the total losses Thailand is believed to have suffered through illicit dealings, reported BBC News.

In related news, a senior mechanic and the chief of a truck weigh station in Ayutthaya’s Wang Noi district has been arrested in a shocking corruption bust. Officers from the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission, alongside Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) officials, swooped in this morning, catching the suspect at his home near the station.

In other news, Thai cyber police dismantled a fraud network posing as a well-known bank, luring victims with promises of high returns on minimal investments. A victim lost over 1.1 million baht after being deceived by the scam. A stranger contacted the victim via the LINE messaging app on August 28, sending a link that led to an advertisement claiming to be from Citibank.