"Aekapop" revealed the government is advancing its crackdown on grey capital, nominees, and identity card forgery syndicates, freezing assets worth over 20 billion baht. Investigations extend to political officials; those involved must face the justice process.
On 18 Sep 2026, Mr. Aekapop Pianpiset, spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office, disclosed that the government is continuously suppressing nominees, grey capital, and identity card forgery syndicates, following directives from Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. They are integrating data among agencies, linking financial transactions, individuals, juristic persons, shareholders, and land holdings to extend investigations from involved parties to their networks and assets.
The Prime Minister has instructed that oversight of foreigners and resolving nominee issues be handled straightforwardly, swiftly, and strictly by law, especially concerning nominees holding land, illegal businesses, and using Thailand as a crime base. At the same time, the government remains open to foreigners investing and conducting business honestly and legally.
Proactive efforts have yielded concrete results through coordinating financial transaction data to detect irregularities and crack down on mule accounts, while the Ministry of Commerce reviews shareholders of juristic persons against related data and financial histories. This has led to a roughly 70% decline in registrations of risky nominee companies.
Upon expanding investigations into shareholding structures, about 2,100 companies have been identified as likely nominees, with over 10,000 more companies flagged for further scrutiny. Relevant agencies have been provided with this data to take legal action.
Regarding land holdings, the Ministry of Interior found companies with evidence suggesting nominee-held land valued at over 80 billion baht and is enforcing laws to proceed with forced sales. Meanwhile, expanded investigations into identity card forgery networks have uncovered groups in various areas. Recently, the "Closing Shadow 2" operation in Surat Thani province resulted in 33 arrest warrants issued, with 27 arrests made from networks involved in producing illegal identity cards without proper registration.
Additionally, tracing the financial routes of the "Jim Liak–Ben Smith" network has led to asset seizures and freezes totaling about 20.392 billion baht, reflecting the extension of suppression efforts from individuals to their financial networks and assets.
Mr. Aekapop stated that the outcomes—including the reduction of risky companies, land ownership checks, crackdown on identity card forgery rings, and asset seizures—demonstrate the government's serious commitment to swiftly address longstanding hidden problems.
The government will continue integrating data and expanding investigations along the entire chain—from financial routes and shareholder structures to involved individuals and assets—to take legal action against offenders.
Mr. Aekapop also addressed political parties, stating that if any members or officeholders fall under investigation or prosecution for nominee or grey capital cases, their parties should urge cooperation with authorities. Those involved must undergo investigation and justice processes like any other individual, without protection or interference, ensuring law enforcement proceeds transparently based on evidence and law.