Thailand issues arrest warrants for 20 Israelis in sweeping Koh Samui business crackdown

Thai police issued arrest warrants for 20 Israelis on Koh Samui as part of a crackdown on foreign business networks using Thai nominees to conceal ownership. Prominent real estate developer Gal Bieber, 45, was detained on Saturday on suspicion of providing false information and unlawfully managing businesses restricted to Thai citizens. Authorities examined 12,906 companies, flagging 875 for nominee characteristics, and opened 60 cases against 88 suspects, including 26 Thai citizens and 62 foreigners. Arrest warrants were issued for all 62 foreign suspects: 20 Israelis, 17 Russians, 12 French nationals, and two each from Ukraine and Germany. Twenty-seven suspects were arrested on the operation day, including two Israelis. Roni Bieber rejected the allegations, stating the businesses were established with local professional guidance and that they are cooperating fully with authorities.

Thai police launched a sweeping operation against foreign business networks suspected of using Thai citizens as nominee shareholders to conceal foreign ownership of companies, land, and restricted businesses on Koh Samui. The Koh Samui Provincial Court issued arrest warrants for 20 Israelis — more than for any other foreign nationality in the operation, excluding Thai nationals themselves. Among those arrested was prominent real estate developer Gal Bieber, 45, detained on Saturday by officers from the Bo Phut Police Station and immigration police from Surat Thani Province. Police allege Bieber provided false information to public officials, unlawfully managed businesses restricted to Thai citizens, and used Thai citizens and corporations to conceal foreign ownership. Authorities say Bieber and his wife, Roni, established a multilayered corporate structure with Thai citizens as nominal shareholders, used to operate an unlicensed international school and to buy, develop, and rent luxury villas mainly to Israeli clients. In total, authorities examined 12,906 companies on Koh Samui, finding foreign shareholders in 8,254 and flagging 875 for nominee characteristics. The operation focused on 61 companies holding 42 plots of land valued at 1.5 billion baht (approximately NIS 140 million). Sixty cases were opened against 88 suspects, including 26 Thai citizens and 62 foreigners. Arrest warrants were issued for all 62 foreign suspects: 20 Israelis, 17 Russians, 12 French nationals, and two each from Ukraine and Germany. Twenty-seven suspects were arrested on the operation day, including two Israelis. On Monday, Israeli Ambassador Dr. Alona Fisher-Kamm met Thai police to discuss coordination and safety of Israeli tourists. Roni Bieber rejected the allegations, stating the businesses were established with local professional guidance and that they are cooperating fully with authorities.