The Phuket News and other media reported on March 16 that – among several other land sites – Eva Beach was being examined by the Office of the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), as part of a probe into activities of local government officials.
Currently under construction, the Eva Beach project is on the beachfront next to Soi Salika, Rawai, in the south of Phuket. According to the company’s website, evabeach.com, it consists of 22 two- and three-storey beachfront villas priced from B32.6 million up to B46.7 million.
Mr Authanop insisted on Tuesday that Eva Beach was totally legal. To back this up he showed reporters photocopies of a letter of approval from the Phuket Governor’s Office, issued in 2010, along with permits issued by Rawai municipality.
“We have followed the legal process. That’s why we got permission to build the project,” said Mr Authanop.
On March 15, the Eva Group lodged a complaint with a spokesperson of the Ministry of the Interior, Pipatchai Paiboon, that the news published in the media was “not accurate” and had been damaging to the project.
Mr Pipatchai later told Bangkok-based media that the documents submitted with the complaint showed Eva Group’s right to construct their project.
“We have been affected by the inaccurate news,” said Mr Authanop. “Our future is being ruined.” He said that the buyers of nine villas had declared their intention to return their partly-constructed villas to the Eva Group. The group’s reputation has been tarnished, he added.
Mr Authanop said that the investigation by the PACC might be the result of “defamation by an individual who is not satisfied” with the Eva beach project.