Singapore businessman arrested in Bangkok for allegedly evading RM675,000 in Thai taxes
SINGAPORE, June 5 — A 71-year-old Singaporean businessman was arrested at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport on June 2 for allegedly evading more than 5.2 million baht (RM675,000) in taxes, Thai police said.
David Liu, identified as a former director of Isentia Monitoring Services (Thailand), was apprehended by Thailand's Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD) as he was about to board a flight to Singapore, according to a report published in The Straits Times today.
ECD commander Thatphum Charuprat said Liu is suspected of fraudulently avoiding value-added tax payments during his time as an authorised director of the media analytics company from July to October 2015.
Liu had been appointed Asia CEO of the Sydney-based media intelligence company Isentia on June 1, 2015, according to the firm's annual report, and left the company in 2019.
At a media briefing, Liu admitted to previously serving as a director of the firm but denied any wrongdoing, according to ST, citing a Bangkok Post report.
The case stems from a complaint filed by Thailand's Revenue Department, which found that Isentia had reported zero tax returns despite evidence of revenue generation.
Police said no representative responded to a summons issued over the alleged tax violations, prompting the Phra Khanong Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant for Liu.
Authorities estimate the state lost nearly 5.24 million baht in tax revenue due to the incorrect filings.
Liu, now listed as CEO of a data intelligence firm on LinkedIn, was arrested before he could leave the country.
If convicted, he could face up to seven years in jail and a fine of up to 200,000 baht.
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