Chief counsel for Thaksin Shinawatra, Noppadon Patta-ma, said on Thursday Panthong-tae and Pinthongta Shinawatra had diverted Bt6 billion of the proceeds from the sale of Shin Corp shares to PT Corporation, Worth Supplies, Pramaisuree Property and SC Office Plaza.

Bhanapot Damapong invested Bt10.4 billion in OAI Management, BBD Develop-ment, BBD Property and SC Office Plaza.

The amounts are part of the Bt73.3 billion both families received from the sale of Shin Corp to a group of investors led by Temasek Holdings.

"I'd like to know if these

companies actually issued new shares to Pinthongta. Personally I don't believe they did. Noppadon should show the documents involved," he said.

Democrat findings showed Thaksin had founded Win Mark and later sold shares to Pinthongta in 2004, despite his statement that companies establishing domicile in the tax haven betrayed their nations.

The three linked companies are SC Office Park, Worth Supplies and PT Corporation. In 2000, Thaksin was alleged to have sold his shares in the three companies to Win Mark, which coincidentally has the same address as Ample Rich Investments.

Noting that the business activities of these companies had been frozen for some time, Korn said both families could have wanted to move money through the recent transactions.

Assets Examination Committee (AEC) member Sak Korsaengruang said in an interview with Channel 11 that the committee had decided to freeze 21 bank accounts in the belief Thaksin had abused his power while prime minister in order to boost his family's business and that all this money belonged to him.

"When the assets were frozen, he said he would have no money to buy a football club. But then he said he would use his children's money. This shows the money belongs to the same person," he said.

Meanwhile, Bank of Thailand Governor Tarisa Watanagase said yesterday the bank could not permit Thaksin to buy Manchester City Football Club with money from the frozen accounts.

If he uses funds from other sources the central bank will consider approval.

"Thaksin has never asked for central-bank permission for the purchase," she said.

The AEC asked the Bank of Thailand to trace all transactions in the 21 accounts, locally and overseas. A central-bank official who asked not to be named said this would be "troublesome". Singapore is strict about revealing customer transactions.

The seven companies were linked to both the Shinawatra and Damapong families. Before Thaksin entered politics, his wife Pojaman allegedly transferred shares in Shin Corp to her maid. Private secretary Kanchanapa Honghern allegedly helped.

Kanchanapa is one of two authorised directors of five of the seven companies. The other is Chanont Suvasin, an official of the dissolved Thai Rak Thai Party, according to data from the Business Development Department and Business Online.

Bhanapot and his wife Busaba control the other two companies.