DSI's important performance in the fiscal year 2017 and the operational direction for the next year

DSI's important performance in the fiscal year 2017 and the operational direction for the next year

          The Department of Special Investigation's the mission according to the law is to prevent, suppress, and investigate criminal cases required investigations by using special methods according to the Special Case Investigation Act. At present, the DSI has responsibility to tackle serious criminal cases severely, adversely affecting the country and its people in many dimensions which are called “a special case”. Moreover, the DSI has other tasks relating to delivering justice to people as assigned by the Cabinet, the Minister of Justice and the Permanent Secretary, as well as facilitating justice as requested by the general public.

          In the fiscal year 2017, the DSI investigated 291 special cases in total and completed 124 cases (120 cases above expectation). Its special cases from 2004-2017 were 2,382 cases of which 1,997 cases were completed and 385 cases are in the process of investigation. For the completed cases, there were 1,601 cases submitted to the Office of the Attorney-General, 134 cases sent to the Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), 4 cases forwarded to the Office of Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), and 259 cases that were ceased or fined. The cost of damage or the interests regained to the state and people was 352,680,630 million baht from 866 cases. For 2017, the damage value or the interests returned to the state and people from 84 cases, was 107,220.82 million baht which is 15,000 million baht above of expectation.

          In terms of its justice administration for reducing inequality and facilitating the public's access to the judicial system, the DSI performed the following prominent work in the fiscal year 2017.
           1. Servicing the public by receiving their complaints and clues and providing them with legal advice through 7 channels comprising letter or document submission, contact in person at DSI offices, DSI hotline 1202, DSI website, website 1111, Facebook and DSI application. The complainants were rendered help according to the specified process and regulations, and notified of preliminary progress in their requested matters, 2,326 matters in total.
           2. Arranging the meetings to discuss measures and guidelines for helping agricultural debtor from eviction resulted from sale on consignment, mortgage, and hire-purchase and loan in Khon Kaen, Maha Sarakham, and Kalasin Provinces, attended by 45 participants from 20 government agencies, financial institutes, and the civil society sector.
           3. Rendering help to 222 farmers (defendants) in Buriram Province, sued in 88 cases by organic fertilizer dealers for 40-million-baht debt.
           4. Enforcing criminal and tax measures to solve the problems of illegal loan by coordinating with the Revenue Department to assess tax and charge major creditors  with a criminal offence of forging title deeds and using the forged title deeds in 6 cases. 25 debtors in the legal execution stage who requested reconciliation at the Court were helped by the DSI.

          In the fiscal year 2017, the DSI applied the measure to prevent and suppress special crime by utilizing technological applications to its work, comprising these important projects;

           1. The project on proactive measure for prevention of state land encroachment with the Internet Map Server (DSI MAP) and the Global Positioning System: GPS (DSI MAP Extended). This project is the training for educating and building networks with agencies and people organizations in 9 target provinces comprising Lamphun, Lampang, Roi Et, Maha Sarakham, Chumphon, Nakhon Sawan, Chai Nat, Nakhon Nayok, and Chon Buri Provinces. After the training, 839 participants can use the DSI MAP and the DSI MAP Extended as the tools to examine the boundary of state land and reserved areas.
           2. The project on potential development of the DSI's network of special crime prevention aimed at enhancing people network participation in local crime prevention consisting of the activities for advancing ability to collect evidence of special crime of 80 network leaders and for enhancing participation and strength of the civil society sector in preventing for special crime, monitoring and reporting clues. The DSI's Prototype Network Award was presented to 22 persons from its networks in the public, private, and people organization sectors including foreign networks who had yearly outstanding performance.

          Prominent special cases in the fiscal year 2017

           1. The cases relating to Wat Phra Dhammakaya
These cases are extended form the case of corruption in the Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative Limited where certain crime proceeds were found to be transferred to Wat Phra Dhammakaya and related persons. The DSI accepted the following 3 cases for further investigations.
            -The Special Case No.27/2016 is the case of conspiracy to commit money laundering and jointly laundering money and receiving stolen property due to the discovery of the proceeds of crime in the Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative Limited case paid to Wat Phra Dhammakaya, Phra Dhammajayo, and the related persons by 27 cheques valued more than 1,458 million baht. The case was completed and its files were submitted since June 13, 2016 to the Office of the Attorney-General for prosecuting 5 alleged offenders. The arrest warrant no. 942/2016 dated May 17, 2016 was issued by the criminal court against Phra Dhammajayo who jointly committed the offence and has been absconding. At present, the DSI's officials continue to pursuit Phra Dhammajayo, while Wat Phra Dhammakaya area is monitored by a provincial working team consisting of the administrative authorities by the Governor of Pathum Thani Province, Pathum Thani Provincial Police, the Pathum Thani Provincial Buddhist Office and the Pathum Thani Provincial Chief Monk who arrange patrols daily in the area of Wat Phra Dhammakaya by their staff. Thus far, the officers have not seen any trace of Phra Dhammajayo in the temple.
            -The Special case No.21/2017 is the case between Mr. Thammanoon Atthachoti (the accuser) and Phra Wirat Thitirat and his accomplices (the accused) conspiring to commit money laundering under the Anti-Money Laundering Act of B.E. 2542 (1999). The case's total damage is 200 million baht. The proceeds of crime were paid for stocks, which is now under the investigation expected to be completed in March 2018.
            -The Special case No.24/2017 is the case between Mr. Thammanoon Atthachoti (the accuser) and Maharattana Ubasika Chan Khonnokyoong Foundation (the offender is not identified) conspiring to commit money laundering under the Anti-Money Laundering Act of B.E. 2542 (1999). The cost of damage is approximately 125 million baht.  The case is now under the investigation expected to be completed in February 2018.
          In addition, the DSI is investigating some of this case for extended results.

           2. The cases relating to the Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative Limited
The DSI accepted 17 cases relating to the Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative Limited which caused the damage of 335,434,78 million baht. From the total, 8 cases were already submitted to the Office of the Attorney-General, 9 cases are under the investigation and 2 cases are in the preliminary investigation process.

           3. Cases relating to money laundering: Krung Thai Bank Public Company Limited's corruption in approving credits to an affiliate of the Krisda Mahanakorn Public Company Limited.
            (1) Special case no.36/2007 is the principal case completed and submitted to the Office of the Attorney-General since February 28, 2017 with the opinion to prosecute 13 alleged offenders for money laundering.
            (2) Special case no.25/2017 is the case requested for the DSI's investigations by the Anti-Money Laundering Office that Mr.Panthongtae Shinawatra and his 4 accomplices, received the transferred money or were involved in the proceeds of crime obtained from granting 10-million-baht and 26-million-baht loans. On October 17, 2017, the special case inquiry officials and the co-investigating public prosecutors jointly charged 4 persons, namely Mrs.Kesinee Chipipop, Mrs.Karnjanapa Honghern, Mr.Wanchai Honghern and Mr.Panthongtae Shinawatra, with conspiracy to commit money laundering. The accused were given a chance to bring the evidence to prove their innocence within 60 days and which was due on December 18, 2017. They already submitted their evidence.

           4. The human trafficking cases in the fiscal year 2017, the DSI tackled 7 special cases (4 cases were completed), 23 preliminary investigation cases (9 cases were completed), 5 fact-finding cases (2 cases were completed). Besides, the DSI also extended cooperation networks with 13 agencies inside and outside the country.
The followings are its outstanding actions.
            - Joining forces with the Department of Provincial Administration and the Non-Governmental Organization named NVADER in searching a shop named “Phu Ruea Café” in Phu Ruea District, Loei Province.
            - Helping 2 Thai women who were lured and forced into prostitution in South Korea.
            - Helping 2 Moroccan women in Thailand who escaped from the place where they were forced to be prostitutes.
            - Raiding a karaoke room in Kanchanaburi Province to help Tai Yai trafficked prostitutes with the support of NVADER staff.
            - Helping the under 18-year-old Myanmar woman lured from Myanmar to sell sex in Thailand.

          With continual human trafficking suppression, Thai government has been upgraded from Tier 3 to the Tier 2 Watch List in the Trafficking in Persons Report 2016 (TIP Report 2016) of the USA.

          In the fiscal year 2017, the DSI's virtue and transparency was evaluated by the Integrity and Transparency Assessment (ITA) from the Office of the National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC) with the score 88.13%, the 16th rank of the country. The DSI received an award from the Office of the Civil Service Commission for its execution of governmental organization transparency standard for more than 5 years and the 2017 Public Sector Excellence Awards on good public service from the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission.

          The operational direction in the fiscal year 2018 according to the administrative policy of Air Chief Marshal Prajin Juntong, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice, that “Facilitate justice, reduce inequality, eliminate adversities, create solidarity, and promote good people in society”. The government's Thailand 4.0 policy focuses on a change from producing commodities to innovative products and replacement of industry steering for technology, creativity and innovation by emphasizing management and use of technology, the DSI therefore determines its operational direction as follows;
           1. Give importance to serious prevention and suppression of intellectual property infringements of all kinds, especially those relating to the innovation leading to country development according to the above mentioned policy.
           2. Give importance to serious prevention and suppression of all forms of the offences relating to computer, especially those relating to the innovation leading to country development according to the above mentioned policy.
           3. Give importance to serious prevention and suppression of money laundering crime because of the fact that when the economy is steered by digital system, crime commission will evolve into a network or organized crime syndicate and the network will be used to facilitate money laundering to cover the proceeds from illegal business.
           4. Give importance to serious prevention and suppression of natural resources and environment crime apart from its mission on prevention and suppression of other serious crimes under its power and duties defined by the law.
           5. Lastly, the DSI determines to complete not fewer than 120 special cases and to protect interests of the country, people, and private sector not less than 16,000 million baht yearly.

          Furthermore, the DSI also emphasizes justice facilitation, inequality reduction, and adversity elimination according to the Ministry of Justice's policy through complaint and public service processes and fosters the Unfairly-Treated Persons and Debtors Help Center's proactive operations to be more concrete.