"Supajee" Leads 23 Agencies in Signing MOU to Combat Nominee Schemes and Integrated Illegal Funding

Today (29 April 2026), 3:05 PM, at the Santi Maitri Building (Outer Wing) Government House, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce, Supajee Suthamphan, gave an interview after presiding over the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in preventing and suppressing the use of Thai nationals as nominees under the concept of "Healing Economic Cracks, Joining Forces to Combat Nominees," along with Mr. Chaiyanok Chidchob, Minister of Digital Economy and Society, and Mr. Phatthana Promphan, Minister of Public Health, regarding the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between 23 agencies to jointly prevent and suppress illicit funds and nominees. Although this is only the signing day of the MOU, these 23 agencies have been working together since October 2025, and significant results have been achieved. Their principle is to integrate data across agencies. When they encounter irregularities, they correct the data and share it with other agencies for their respective responsibilities. For example, the Department of Business Development (DBD), under the Ministry of Commerce, has approximately 980,000 registered legal entities in its database. They work on prevention and monitoring of already registered individuals.

Ms. Supajee further stated that to prevent those in the process of registering, they connect databases with sources such as the Ministry of Finance and those holding state welfare cards. Regarding the issue of welfare card holders, whose names are on the list of approximately 13.4 million people, applying to register a company could raise concerns about potential fraud, manipulation, or malicious intent. We implement preventative measures before the information enters the system. Loading this same data into the database of registered corporations reveals approximately 58,000 welfare card holders. This information has been sent to the Ministry of Finance and the Revenue Department for tax verification, specifically addressing how welfare card holders can serve as directors or hold positions of authority in various companies. This data integration provides a clear picture. For example, we connect data with the Cyber Crime Suppression Center (CCSC) and the Royal Thai Police, accessing approximately 90,000 "blacklist" accounts. These are loaded into our corporate database. Individuals applying for company registration who are on the blacklist will not be allowed to do so. Further integration efforts will be undertaken.

Mr. Chaiyanok stated that, initially, if everything is in order regarding the blacklist, further action will be taken. We will consider the issue of dark gray and light gray "mule account" schemes. Furthermore, the CCSC, which has been working for some time, has found that nominee structures are a significant problem infiltrating the fake SIM cards and "mule account" schemes. Previously, we informally invited the Department of Business Development (DBD) for discussions, but previous legal regulations made action difficult. However, now that the Ministry of Commerce and other agencies have increased their capabilities and have been working on this for some time, we can move forward more efficiently and decisively. We believe this will further reduce the target of 30-40% of scammers.

Meanwhile, Mr. Panthong Loykulnan, Director-General of the Customs Department, stated that the Customs Department is working with the Ministry of Commerce in various ways, linking data to prevent illegal activities, particularly targeting those who have disappeared or whose directors have passed away but are still engaging in the import and export of illegal goods. This type of data linkage will be beneficial in preventing and suppressing illegal goods from being fraudulently imported and exported abroad.

Ms. Supajee added that all participating ministries are working intensively. Therefore, the integration of data linkage is something we are committed to, demonstrating our dedication to collaborative data sharing. On the other hand, we will jointly create a monitoring mechanism. When we see any areas of concern or suspicion within these agencies, we can integrate the entire system to enhance prevention and surveillance. Finally, we intend to build confidence among both domestic and international investors, ensuring they understand our intentions and conduct their business transparently. Today's signing symbolizes our genuine commitment to cooperation. Moving forward, we will expand and refine this collaboration to achieve the most effective results.

Photo : Khanisorn Lorthongdaeng