THE DEPARTMENT of Special Investigation (DSI) is looking into filing another case against Xin Ke Yuan Steel Ltd (SKY) which supplied steel for the unfinished construction of the State Audit building that collapsed during the March 28 earthquake after collecting samples of this metal and hazardous red dust during a raid on its factory in Rayong yesterday (Apr. 11), Naewna newspaper said today.
DSI has already accepted a case against this company for violating the Foreign Business Act B.E. 2542 (1999) governing the use of nominees to do business.
During the raid, which was initiated by the Industry Ministry, documentary evidence such as import-export, trading, origin and possession of steel and red dust were collected, all of which will be checked back to the point of the company’s establishment around 2014.
The ministry will be examining these samples together with steel samples obtained earlier to determine whether they violate Industrial Product Standards Act B.E. 2511 (1968) and if so this too would be sent to DSI to accept as another special case.
It is believed that the raid did uncover wrongdoings such as possession of red dust which comes under Hazardous Substances Act B.E. 2535 (1992) or steel which is covered by the Industrial Product Standards Act and is also listed at the end of the Special Case Investigation Act B.E. 2547 (2004).
The result of the Industry Ministry’s examination is awaited to clarify what wrongdoings occurred after which DSI could accept it as another case. It would have to be determined later whether the new case could be merged with the main one, which is the use of nominees to set up and run business.
A DSI source said that the Revenue Department, Region 3, had approached DSI to investigate this company for having used fake tax invoices during July 2015 to March 2017, totalling 7,426 copies and worth over 200 million baht. This is a criminal offense under the Revenue Code and is also listed at the end of the Special Case Investigation Act.
DSI has accepted this as a special case unrelated to the nominee case.
The DSI source added that the agency still could not say whether these products were exported. However it had received news that this company had been blacklisted in China and the question is why was it able to come do business in Thailand.
DSI has to check whether SKY was doing business legally here or not because if they were blacklisted in China but were doing business legally here then nothing can be done.
For example if a company was blacklisted in one country but improved its performance in another country it may not be in the wrong. But it would have violated the law if there is an intention to continue wrongdoing.
The DSI source also pointed out that SKY had been previously told to cease operation yet was still able to sell steel even though not permitted to do so. It is being investigated whether it was operating illegally and whether its machinery were running.
If a company is closed it is allowed to sell other possessions such as tables, chairs, company cars and anything else that was not seized to pay employees but it is strictly forbidden to sell or move what has been seized.
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Top and Front Page: A DSI and Industry Ministry team raiding the Xin Ke Yuan Ltd’s factory in Rayong yesterday. Photos: Thai Rath
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