An Israeli national was arrested at Samui airport on charges of nominee shareholding to acquire land on Koh Phangan in Surat Thani province on Wednesday.
Investigators from Surat Thani immigration office and Koh Phangan police jointly carried out the arrest of Eden Alisa, 30, within Samui airport.
The Israeli national has an arrest warrant issued for him by the Koh Samui Provincial Court on May 21, charging him with submitting false statements to land officials in order to obtain land rights through a company in which Thai nationals were used as nominee shareholders, said the arresting team.
He was interceptedat the airport as he was re-entering Thailand.
Investigators said Mr Alisa was a shareholder in Alisa Paradise Co, a company allegedly involved in the nominee arrangement. He had reportedly left Thailand before authorities executed search warrants related to the case.
After learning that he planned to return on a flight arriving at Samui Airport at about 10.30am on Wednesday, investigators moved in to perform the arrest.
During questioning, the suspect admitted that he was the personl named in the warrant.
He told investigators that he had hired an accounting firm to establish Alisa Paradise Co and had used Thai nationals provided by the firm as nominee shareholders.
According to investigators, the company was used to register ownership of land on Koh Phangan, where Mr Alisa allegedly intended to build a private holiday residence in the future.
The suspect was later handed over to investigators at Koh Phangan police station for legal proceedings.
Authorities said the investigation would be expanded to identify other members of the network, including the accounting firm involved and Thai nationals who agreed to act as nominees.
The Royal Thai Police Office has intensified a crackdown on illegal “nominee” arrangements and foreign business operations that exploit Thai proxies to circumvent ownership laws.
Authorities have been targeting foreign-backed schemes that unlawfully acquire land, displace local livelihoods or use Thai nationals as fronts.
The arrest of the Israeli suspect followed a major raid in mid-May dubbed "Dismantling Foreign Nominee Networks on Koh Phangan," during which arrest warrants were issued for 45 suspects.
Police have so far apprehended 27 of those named and were pursuing the remaining 18.
