AMLO seized more than Bt9 billion in 15 years

– Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community

PHUKET: Pol Colonel Seehanat Prayoonrat, secretary-general of the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO), said at an event marking AMLO’s 15th anniversary yesterday that the agency had so far confiscated up to Bt9.7 billion in money laundering cases.

In a recent move to prevent laundered money from moved around via the banking system, the AMLO chief has issued an edict for all financial institutions to strictly follow guidelines and closely check each customer’s data.

The Council of State is also vetting a revised anti-money laundering bill to improve AMLO’s structure, before it is forwarded to the National Legislative Assembly.

Over the past year, AMLO has sought court orders to confiscate some Bt900 million in assets related to tax fraud, illicit trade in rosewood and embezzlement of funds from the Credit Union Cooperative.

Since 2001, AMLO has obtained 44 million reports on transactions, of which some 6 million were related to cash dealings, about 5 million had to do with assets, over 30 million involved wire transfers or settlements and some 1.8 million were deemed suspicious.

Last year, AMLO confiscated 61 assets related to the 1995 Bangkok Bank of Commerce embezzlement case involving late Krirkkiat Jalichandra and Rakesh Saxena.

— Phuket Gazette Editors