Bangkok – Three Thai shareholders and directors from China Railway No 10 (Thailand) surrendered themselves the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) today to acknowledge charges of acting as nominees for a foreign business.
Authorities identified the three as Manus Srianant, Prachuab Sirikate, and Sophon Meechai. The DSI stated that these men lack the finances needed to hold a 51% stake in the large construction company. They are also not construction engineers.
Mr Manus’s lawyer argued that the DSI’s claims are not true and that his client and the other two men are not nominee shareholders.
The company formed a joint venture with Italian-Thai Development Corporation (IDC) to build the State Audit Office in Chatuchak, Bangkok. The SAO building collapsed on March 28 after tremors from a 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar.
Investigators believe the Chinese owners set up the company using Thai nominees to bypass the Alien Business Act. This is one of several illegal actions under investigation. More than 40 workers from Thailand and Myanmar have died as a result of the collapse. About 50 more people are still missing.
The DSI police, and other agencies are also looking into other possible causes, like poor-quality building materials, changes to the core lift shaft design, and weak supervision during construction.
On Monday, special investigators asked the Criminal Court to extend the detention of a China Railway No 10 (Thailand) executive. They want more time to question him and requested a 12-day extension.
Deputy DSI director-general Pol Capt Surawut Rangsai told reporters that Mr. Zhang denies using Thai nominees and says he managed the company himself. He represents a state-owned company from China and was sent to Thailand to invest.
Mr. Zhang’s lawyer requested bail, offering one million baht as surety. The DSI did not object, since the maximum prison sentence is less than 10 years. The court is reviewing the bail request.
