I recently came across a bot in the Black Shroud, confirmed it by trying to chat with it, and even killed the mobs it was targeting. Since it didn't respond, I reported it to the GM, then after a half hour, went to customer support and reported to the STF. shortly afterward, I recieved an ingame message from a GM reporting that the reported character was being observed, and that the appropriate action will be taken.

I can only assume therefore, that whether or not the GMs have the authority to ban botters, if reported, they will observe thier actions and add them to a blacklist; When the game is effectively no longer in beta, then you will see mass purgings. For now I can only say don't get discouraged, and continue to report botters as you find them, and make sure you are as detailed as possible when reporting a bot or RMT. (name, map location, observed unusual behaviors, etc.)