Appeals Court upholds life term for ex-Revenue chief in Bt3bn VAT fraud

The Appeals Court has upheld the life sentences imposed on former Revenue Department director-general Sathit Rangkhasiri and senior revenue official Supakit Ryokan for their roles in the illegal approval of VAT refunds worth more than three billion baht to a private company.

The two senior revenue officials were accused of abusing their authority to help a private company evade payment of more than three billion baht in value-added tax (VAT).

Two company executives, identified as Prasit and Kittisak, also had their sentences of six years and eight months upheld by the Appeals Court.

All four convicts were ordered to return about three billion baht in tax refunds to the Revenue Department. The Criminal Court had previously ordered the confiscation of 77kg of gold bars found at Sathit's home.

The Appeals Court's ruling was delivered on May 29 last year but was only made public on Monday by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) after it agreed, at a meeting on May 11, with the Attorney-General's recommendation not to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.

Read more: Satit Rungkasiri: How Thailand’s top taxman sank under a hoard of gold