The Criminal Court granted bail to ex-deputy finance minister Benja Louischaroen and three others Thursday, just after it sentenced them to three years in prison for helping children of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra evade 16 billion baht in tax.
The four were sentenced Thursday for helping Thaksin's children evade tax on the 2006 Shin Corp share purchase. They intend appealing the case.
Benja, a former deputy director-general of the Revenue Department; Chamras Yamsoithong and Moreerat Boonyasiri, former legal affairs directors; and Krit Vipulanusat, a legal affairs director, were granted bail at 300,000 baht each without conditions.
Pranee Vejpruekpitak, former secretary to Thaksin's ex-wife Khunying Potjaman na Pombejra, was also granted bail at 300,000 baht. She was given two years for supporting the malfeasance case but is appealing against the sentence.
Former minister and ex-Customs Department chief Benja Louischareon, will appeal her three-year sentence for malfeasance in helping Thaksin's son and younger daughter avoid massive tax payments. (Photo by Patipat Janthong)
Benja was accused of making a faulty ruling that saved Thaksin's daughter Pinthongta (left) and son Pinthongtae billions of baht in capital gains taxes when they sold Shin Corp shares. (EPA photo)
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) filed the lawsuit against the five on Dec 3, 2015, accusing the four revenue officials of helping siblings Panthongtae Shinawatra and Pinthongta Shinawatra avoid personal income tax. The officials responded to a tax question on the share sale from Pranee that the siblings did not have to be taxed.
The case related to each of the siblings' purchase of 164,600,000 Shin Corp shares at a par price of one baht in 2006 when the share price was 49.25 baht. According to the NACC, the purchase was considered as earned income and Thaksin's children had to pay tax based on the share-price earnings gap of 7.94 billion baht each, or 15.88 billion baht in total for their gain.
The department's tax panel earlier said such earnings must be included in their tax in line with Section 39 of the Revenue Code, the court was told.