Thai police launched a sweeping operation against foreign business networks suspected of using Thai citizens as nominee shareholders to conceal foreign ownership of companies, land and restricted businesses, with arrest warrants issued for 20 Israelis on Koh Samui, Walla reported on Wednesday.
The Koh Samui Provincial Court issued warrants for the Israelis as part of the investigation, more than for citizens of any other foreign country included in the operation, excluding Thai nationals themselves.
Among the Israelis arrested was prominent real estate developer Gal Bieber, 45, who was detained on Saturday by officers from the Bo Phut Police Station and immigration police from Surat Thani Province.
According to police, Bieber is suspected of providing false information to public officials that led to false details being entered into official documents, unlawfully managing businesses restricted to Thai citizens, and using Thai citizens and corporations to conceal foreign ownership and management of businesses. At this stage, these remain allegations.
Thai police issue warrants for 20 Israelis in Koh Samui business crackdown
According to the suspicions made public, Gal and his wife, Roni, established a multilayered corporate structure and placed Thai citizens as shareholders in name only.
Authorities allege that the network of companies was used to operate an international school without a license and to purchase, hold, develop, sell and rent luxury villas, mainly to Israeli clients.
Thai authorities said a review of company records showed that one of the companies linked to the couple was initially registered under the names of Thai shareholders, with most of its shares transferred about a month later to Roni Bieber. The shareholders, directors, company capital and areas of business activity were subsequently changed repeatedly.
In total, authorities examined 12,906 companies registered on Koh Samui. Authorities found foreign shareholders in 8,254 of them, while 875 were flagged as having characteristics that could indicate the use of nominee shareholders.
After screening the information, the operation focused on 61 companies that held 42 plots of land and buildings spanning more than 53 dunams, valued at an estimated 1.5 billion baht, or approximately NIS 140 million.
Authorities opened 60 cases against 88 suspects, including 26 Thai citizens and 62 foreigners. Arrest warrants were issued for all 62 foreign suspects, including 20 Israelis, 17 Russians, 12 French nationals and two citizens each from Ukraine and Germany. Authorities said 27 suspects, including two Israelis, were arrested on the day of the operation.
During searches, police seized incorporation documents, accounting books, computers, mobile phones and digital information. Police said they would use the material to expand the investigation and identify additional individuals involved both inside and outside Thailand.
On Monday, two days after the Koh Samui operation, Israeli Ambassador to Thailand Dr. Alona Fisher-Kamm and members of the embassy delegation met Surat Thani Provincial Police commander Sawat Suksri and Tourist Police Division 3 commander Satasak Yimcharoen.
The meeting took place amid a rise in the number of Israelis on Koh Samui and nearby islands, recent tensions and friction between local residents and Israelis, and increased enforcement against businesses suspected of illegal activity.
The meeting also aimed to strengthen coordination, ensure the safety of Israeli tourists, and encourage responsible tourism in the country. The ambassador thanked police for assisting Israelis and said the overwhelming majority obey the law, while acknowledging that "there are also exceptional cases of improper behavior." She stressed that the embassy briefs Israelis traveling to Thailand on local laws, customs and culture.
She asked authorities to contact the embassy directly in any incident involving Israelis to enable a swift and coordinated response. Thai authorities, for their part, said they enforce the law transparently and equally against everyone, regardless of nationality.
The Koh Samui operation is the seventh stage of a Thai government campaign against concealed foreign control of land and businesses in tourist areas. During the previous six stages, authorities examined 238 companies and 272 plots of land across seven provinces, including Phuket, Krabi, Phang Nga and Chonburi. So far, authorities have issued 178 arrest warrants as part of the operations, and 91 suspects have been arrested.
Roni Bieber: "All our actions were accompanied by a Thai lawyer and accountant"
Roni Bieber told Walla, "We reject the claims raised against us. The businesses were established and operated with the guidance of local professionals and with the intention of complying with the requirements of Thai law. This was not a case of using nominee shareholders, and all the partners involved are real people who were part of the business activity.
"We are cooperating fully with the authorities through our lawyers and are providing all the required documents and information. Gal reported as required and has been released on bail while the legal proceedings are underway.
"Since the matter is currently under examination and in legal proceedings, we cannot address every detail, but we believe the facts will become clear and our names will be cleared. We respect Thai law and the authorities. All our actions were accompanied by a Thai lawyer and accountant who told him how to do everything and accompanied us when the companies were opened and the businesses were established. We placed our full trust in them and did as they instructed, but when the law changed, they disappeared and took no responsibility, and because they are Thai, they are free from law enforcement.
"We ask that partial information or premature conclusions not be published before the examination is completed."