Thaksin's children to fight tax evasion charges
Panthongtae and Pinthongta Shinawatra will fight allegations of tax evasion all the way to the Supreme Court, the family's legal adviser said Sunday.
The son and elder daughter of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra have been accused of tax irregularities in the sale of Shin Corp shares to Temasek Holdings of Singapore earlier this year.Lawyer Noppadon Pattama said both Panthongtae and Pinthongta were ready to go all the way to the Supreme Court to prove their innocence. Their legal representatives met Revenue Department officials last week to discuss the filing of documents related to the share sale. Noppadon said the Shinawatra family could prove the children's Shin Corp shares were not sold directly from British Virgin Island's company Ample Rich to Temasek. Noppadon accused Revenue Department director-general Sirot Sawadpanish of contradicting himself and making statements prejudicial to the Shinawatra case. He alleged Sirot testified before the Assets Examination Committee the sale was not a direct transaction and, as such, was not taxable, he said. "However he then stated the opposite. I do not want to say the Shinawatra family is being harassed,'' he said. He added Thaksin's brother-in-law Bhanapot Damapong would fight similar allegations to the Supreme Court, too. It is claimed he evaded tax on the sale of 4.5 million Shinawatra Computer and Communications shares on November 7, 1997. The shares were worth Bt738 million. Noppadon claimed the Revenue Department had not sought a retroactive tax payment of Bt546 million for the transaction. Nevertheless, Bhanapot may pay the tax and then later appeal. The Nation
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