"The prosecution will seek maximum punishment for Pojaman and Bhanapot for alleged criminal and tax violations," Attapol Yaisawang said.

The prosecution team, led by chief prosecutor Somsak Boonthong, agreed with indictments as per the recommendations from the Asset Examination Committee (AEC) before issuing the prosecution order, Attapol said.

The next step in the litigation proceedings is for the AEC to summon the defendants to report to prosecutors within 10 days in order to spell out the charges, he said.

The defendants include Bhanapot, Pojaman and her personal secretary Kanchanapa Honghern, he said.

Kanchanapa is to be charged for involving in the tax offences and will not be tried for criminal charges laid out against the other two defendants, he said.

At the heart of the prosecution is the conspiracy to file false income tax return documents relating to a PojamanBhanapot stock transaction in 2000. The defendants unlawfully claimed tax exemption, the prosecution spokesman said.

Prosecutors will treat the case as a criminal conspiracy which cannot be settled out of court even if the defendants later decided to meet their tax obligations, he said.

Based on the AEC report, the defendants are liable for Bt500 million in unpaid tax, he said.

If convicted, they have to meet their tax liabilities and pay a fine of up to Bt400,000 on top of serving in jail, he said.