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Thailand sentences former national tourism leader 50 years in jail

Former head of the Tourism Authority of Thailand Juthamas Siriwan on March 29 was sentenced to 50 years in prison for receiving 1.8 million USD in bribery to hand the right of hosting a film festival in Bangkok to three US companies 10 years ago.
Thailand sentences former national tourism leader 50 years in jail ảnh 1Former head of the Tourism Authority of Thailand Juthamas Siriwan. (Source: REX/VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Former headof the Tourism Authority of Thailand Juthamas Siriwan on March 29 was sentencedto 50 years in prison for receiving 1.8 million USD in bribery to hand theright of hosting a film festival in Bangkok to three US companies 10 years ago.

Thailand’s Central Court for Corruptionalso sentenced her daughter 44 years in jail for assisting the transferring of briberymoney to overseas bank accounts.

The bribery money was alsoseized. The bosses of the American companies were also sentenced six months inprison.

The court also refused thebailout of 29,000 USD each person by lawyers of the accused.

Proceedings against the casecommenced in August 2015 at the recommendation of State prosecutors.

According to the indictment, theformer TAT leader received bribery 59 times from US business couple Gerald andPatricia Green from 2002 to 2007 to award their three companies the right toorganise the Bangkok International Film Festival, which returned a profit of13.5 million USD.

The couple are in jail in theUnited States for their involvement in a ring fraudulently mobilising capital.

Juthamas denied the accusationwhile her daughter said 1.8 million USD was the revenue from businessactivities with a US businessman, which was denied by the court.

The National Anti-CorruptionCommittee (NACC) will be responsible for recovering the case’s illegal assetsof up to 1.9 million USD, which is deposited overseas.

Earlier, Juthamas had been investigatedby the NACC for becoming rich abnormally after leaving the role as TAT leader.

According to the NACC, the casewill be submitted to the Attorney General of Thailand to seek measures to recoverillegal assets.

According to the investigation ofthe Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US Ministry of Justice, the briberymoney was transferred to bank accounts in five countries and territories namelythe United Kingdom, Ireland, Singapore, Jersey State of the US, andSwitzerland.-VNA

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