13 suspects acquitted of tour scam face OAG appeal

Prosecutors disagree with a Criminal Court ruling on Aug 25 that acquitted 13 suspects of charges relating to “zero-dollar” tours organised for Chinese visitors, according to a petition lodged with the Court of Appeal by the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG) yesterday.

OAG spokesman Wan chat Santikunchorn said the decision was based on a suggestion by a working group appointed by the attorney-general to study the ruling and consider whether there were grounds for an appeal.

He said the group disagreed with the ruling as all witnesses and evidence brought against the suspects were reliable and sufficient to support the charges against them.

In the wake of the acquittal, executives from OA Transport Co and its five affiliates have claimed they are victims of the tour scandal, after they were implicated in the alleged scam.

According to the company, this has cost the businesses several million baht in losses.

Prosecutors took them to court on Oct 25 last year, after police raided several companies that were allegedly involved in the biggest zero-dollar tour network in the country.

The suspects were accused of operating illegal, poor-quality package tours and related businesses catering mostly to Chinese.

Zero-dollar tours are cheap package deals in which tourists are pressured to buy overpriced goods and services from selected outlets at their destination.

The Criminal Court said in its ruling that the defendants rented tour coaches and sold products to tourists, but did not operate tour guide services.

The court ruled the tours were a marketing strategy in a fiercely competitive industry, the tourists were charged in China, and the police failed to check the defendants’ businesses.