THAILAND:Thai state prosecutors formally charged ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra with "official misconduct" yesterday relating to his wife's purchase of a prime piece of Bangkok land.
The move came on the same day Manchester City football club said it was backing an £81.6 million (€121 million) takeover bid led by Mr Thaksin.
This is the first formal legal action taken against Mr Thaksin since he was ousted in a September coup by generals accusing him of running a corrupt government. A ruling is expected on July 10th on whether to proceed with the charges.
Mr Thaksin, who has been exiled in London since the coup, would have to appear to answer the charges if the case is tried.
If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in jail and a 60,000 baht fine (€1,360).
The charges stem from a ruling by an asset examination committee set up after the coup that Mr Thaksin and his wife, Pojaman Shinawatra, broke anti-graft laws preventing politicians in office doing business deals with state agencies. Ms Pojaman bought the land for 772 million baht (€17.5 million) from the Bank of Thailand in a 2003 auction, during Mr Thaksin's first term.
The committee wants the court to annul the deal, return the land to the central bank and confiscate the money. - (Reuters)