Bhumjaithai Party MP Suchada Zhang Thaensap and her Australian husband, Taiyang Zhang, met Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation (DSI) today, October 20, to address questions about his former shareholding in a company linked to an overseas online gambling business.
The allegation attracted public attention after People’s Party MP Rangsiman Rome raised concerns about Zhang’s alleged involvement in an online gambling operation during a parliamentary meeting.
Suchada denied the allegations against her husband, saying she believed he was a good person and that this was why she married him. She declined to explain his occupation in detail, saying only that he owned a start-up and that the couple’s combined assets amounted to 1.9 billion baht.
The couple arrived at the DSI office at around 8.30am to provide information to investigators. They spoke to reporters after more than three hours of questioning.
Suchada said her husband had previously held a 1.47% stake in a company registered in the British Virgin Islands. She said the company owned the operator of Shuffle.com, an online gambling website licensed in Curacao.
According to Suchada, her husband transferred the shares before the February 8 general election. She said this was why the holding did not appear in her asset declaration submitted to the National Anti-Corruption Commission.
Suchada said she did not give a statement during the meeting and had accompanied her husband. She said Zhang would need to explain the details of his questioning.
“I came to the DSI to answer the questions officials may have, and to give information. I am willing to cooperate fully with this examination, and I will keep cooperating. I will give all of the information to the officials,” Zhang told reporters.
Asked who purchased his stake and where the proceeds went, Suchada said her husband had already explained the matter to investigators. She did not answer a further question about his occupation.
No charges had been filed against the couple at the time of the report, and the investigation remains ongoing.
The DSI held an initial meeting of its investigative team yesterday, October 19, joined by the Central Investigation Bureau, the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau and the Anti-Money Laundering Office.
The team plans to review earlier cases involving alleged predicate offences handled by the agencies to determine whether Zhang’s name has previously appeared in their investigations.
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