Mr. Poonpong Naiyanapakorn, Director-General of the Department of Business Development, Ministry of Commerce, revealed that the DBD and the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), led by Police Colonel Chamnan Chanthet, Commander of Division 4, Economic Crime Suppression Division, have jointly developed a plan to investigate nominee-owned real estate in tourist provinces and accounting firms/law firms that operate companies for foreigners to hold real estate. This follows the arrest of 86 cases of nominee-owned land and accounting businesses operating under the Foreign Business Act B.E. 2542 (1999) without permission. The next step is to investigate real estate ownership related to this land ownership, as well as other suspicious real estate ownership that may constitute nominee ownership.

Initially, the DBD and CIB will conduct in-depth investigations immediately through integrated cooperation under the MOU, including sharing information on high-risk legal entities. This database will be used to investigate and verify the behavior of legal entities to determine whether they are using Thai nationals as nominees to conceal their activities and real estate ownership. It will also examine accounting firms/law firms that register legal entities for foreigners to hold real estate, as this is a key factor in the creation of nominee entities, impacting the interests of Thai citizens, as well as the national economy and security.

Furthermore, the Department and CIB will begin in-depth investigations in tourist provinces, focusing on high-risk groups using nominees to hold real estate and accounting firms/law firms. The Department will integrate and link data on legal entities suspected of using nominees to hold real estate and accounting firms/law firms. If wrongdoing is found, action will be taken to ensure that those responsible are punished to the fullest extent of the law. Furthermore, it coordinates with other partner agencies involved in the business operations of legal entities that commit offenses to take legal action according to the laws or regulations of those agencies. Currently (data as of December 31, 2025), tourist provinces such as Chonburi have 73,126 active legal entities with a total registered capital of 1,036,561.95 million baht; Chiang Mai has 32,099 active legal entities with a total registered capital of 217,513.75 million baht; Phuket has 31,291 active legal entities with a total registered capital of 234,002.32 million baht; Surat Thani has 25,004 active legal entities with a total registered capital of 123,828.43 million baht; and Prachuap Khiri Khan has 7,087 active legal entities with a total registered capital of 34,372.65 million baht.

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