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Thais built it, sold it, and registered it. So why is the foreigner the only one in the dock?

12 min read

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Photo of Phruek Vajara

A nominee structure took a whole chain of people to create, and almost every link in that chain was Thai, or licensed and working in Thailand. The lawyer who designed it. The shareholders who fronted it. The official who stamped it. The governments that watched for twenty years and did nothing. If Thailand is now enforcing the law, basic fairness asks one simple question: why does the punishment fall hardest on the single person in that chain who knew the law least?

Key facts

Summary

Picture how a single illegal nominee company actually came into being.

A foreigner wants to buy a home. He walks into a law office in Phuket or Samui or Pattaya, often a large, glossy, reputable-looking one, and asks the only question that matters: can I do this legally? The lawyer says yes, and proposes a Thai company. Thai nominee shareholders are found, Thai nationals who will hold the majority on paper for a small annual fee, contributing no capital and expecting no profit.

Read full article at The Thaiger →