A representative from the Irish Embassy in Bangkok was today ordered to appear at the Royal Thai Police headquarters over the case of a 16-year-old Irish girl who is spearheading the case of her and her family who have been kidnapped, robbed of over a million Euros in property , and forced to live in fear.
Police General Somyot Pumpunmuang Commander of the Royal Police ordered an Embassy representative to attend the meeting and he also summonsed a lawyer and a number of police from Chalong Police station in Phuket who have been named by Jessie Vard, 16, and her brother Daire, 13, as implicated in corruption.
Jessie and Daire are the children of former Dublin businessman Colin Vard, a cousin of the Vard Sisters, and himself a children’s book author.
After arriving in Phuket some 6 years ago he claims he was swindled out of seven properties he had bought there and implicit in the swindle were his own lawyer, officials of the Krung Thai Bank and local police who refused to investigate, and moneylenders whom the property was originally hawked to by Vard’s housekeeper – the only person to be jailed.
It’s alleged that Vard’s lawyer switched Vard’s title deeds for photocopies and transferred the real ones into other names. Among the names were local police and officials in Phuket. When the Vards’ demanded investigations local police refused and nothing happened when Colin Vard went over their heads, except that they started receiving death threats.
The summons of the Irish Embassy official was made after General Somyot Pumpunmuang came after he said: ‘The Irish Embassy must get involved”.
And it highlights situations abroad where Embassies refuse to help their own citizens who have been swindled claiming they cannot interfere with the justice system of their own country.
Colin Vard’s case which was first revealed by journalist Andrew Drummond (author of this site) took off publicly in Thailand when Jessie started producing her own videos accusing Thai officials of widespread corruption including the Phuket Land Office which had to be involved in the scam.
Today Colin Vard said: “The Irish Embassy in Kuala Lumper and Consulate in Thailand have done absolutely nothing for us. They will not even answer the phone any more.”
Mr.Vard, Jessie and Daire blocked two lanes of traffic in central Bangkok outside the Royal Thai Police headquarters to make their point. Due to death threats they are currently living under witness protection provided by the Department of Special Investigations.
 |
| Earlier meeting – Daire (far left) and Jessie at Ministry of Justice. A lot of talk but nothing happened |
Links: Justice for Jessie (Facebook)
Children padlocked in well as father robbed of properties in Thailand
This guy must have the worst luck ever….seems like every Thai official has scammed him.
There are 2 laws – one for the haves – and one for the "have-nots."
This is not exclusive to Thailand – but it seems to flourish very well indeed in the Land of Scams – I mean Smiles. (:
As a heterosexual, I note that Ireland has finally made the proactive move to accept Gay marriage – now how about some justice for the Vards too, for Christ's sake?
The Vards have been asked to bend over and take it again? TIT folks..
Not sure the Irish government has much if any clout. As an Irishman, locals often mix it up with Iceland, trade is negligible. The only Irishman most Thais know is probably Roy Keane. There is one very powerful Irish guy in Bangkok but he flies under the radar apart from this site!
I somehow think that this story is going to run and run…
Good thing too.
One side issue is the legal status of the companies that owned the properties. The current (widely used) way farangs get around the law is through nominee companies and recently 30+30 year leases….smarter men than me have pointed out that it's very risky to go down this route and Thai courts(corrupt or not) are unlikely to be interested in protecting property rights for these companies. Doesn't change the theft and malpractice by banks in this case but worth bearing in mind
advised by the same lawyer who defrauded him I guess Tim!
Daily News, a major Thai newspaper, reported on this story and they have included a few details not included here which, assuming they are true, would seem to be relevant.
It was reported in that newspaper that the Irishman's wife borrowed money from moneylenders to start up a noodle shop. She was unable to repay the 600,000 baht loan and the steep interest rates charged saw the money owing increase rapidly. She then forged her husband's signature and signed the properties over to herself. She then went and sought a loan out from a bank using the properties as collateral. When she was unable to repay the bank loan, the bank sold the properties.
Who knows what's true?!
Stickman: truth embellished as usual. Seven properties went. They did not go to pay off a noodle shop debt!. But yes in Thai eyes his housekeeper was his 'wife'. They had an affair. She move in. The affair finished. I am not going to moralise on this. She stayed as housekeeper. That's when it all happened. She was jailed for 13 years. But of the cash from the houses she got very little. At the most 5 to 10 per cent. She was easy to catch and deal with as to happens in Thailand and took the fall for all the crooks.