BANGKOK — Thailand’s ability to collect $542 million in taxes from former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra could be severely limited if his assets are abroad, as Thai enforcement officers lack authority beyond the kingdom’s borders in civil cases, officials said Tuesday.
Penrawee Masang, Deputy Director-General of the Legal Execution Department, stated on November 18 that the Revenue Department, acting as the creditor, must first petition the court for an enforcement order to collect the debt.
Once the order is secured, officials are required to locate Thaksin’s assets and then notify the Legal Execution Department to seize and auction them through the standard legal process. Enforcement, however, must be carried out within Thailand’s borders, unlike in criminal matters where international cooperation is more feasible. The government has 10 years from the date the Supreme Court judgment becomes final to collect the debt.
If Thaksin fails to pay voluntarily, the Revenue Department must petition the court for a writ of execution, then identify his assets and inform the Legal Execution Department to proceed with seizure, Penrawee said.
The Supreme Court ruled that shares in the 2006 Shin Corporation sale were held on Thaksin’s behalf and that the low-priced transactions constituted taxable income with no grounds to reduce penalties.
Pakorn Nilprapunt, secretary-general of the Council of State, said the Finance Ministry’s role is now limited to requesting a writ of execution through routine legal process. Once recovered, the assets automatically become state property.
The tax case comes as the Attorney-General’s Office filed an appeal Monday in a separate lese majeste case against Thaksin stemming from a 2015 interview with South Korean media. A lower court acquitted him in August.
Thaksin is serving a one-year sentence reduced through royal pardon for abuse of power during his time as prime minister. He returned to Thailand in 2023 after 15 years in self-exile following a 2006 military coup that ousted him from power.
Pheu Thai Party leader Cholnan Srikaew said the party does not wish to politicize the issue but acknowledged concerns about the timing coinciding with the election cycle.
“We must accept that the Pheu Thai Party has close ties with Mr. Thaksin,” Cholnan said. “Ultimately, fairness in society must be transparent, and every individual must be treated equally.”
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