• 
• 

Published on July 12, 2007

He would make a one-day trip then rush back to the United Kingdom due to his fear of arrest, a source said.

Prakiat Nasimma, a spokes-man for Thaksin's legal team, said the ex-PM would definitely come back to fight the court case but refused to say when exactly.

"We have to wait and monitor the political situation on a day-by-day basis," he said.

The Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Office decided on Tuesday to proceed with the trial against Thaksin and his wife Pojaman for alleged corruption in the land deal.

The tribunal scheduled the first hearing on August 14 for the couple to enter their plea.

The court ordered public prosecutors to take a subpoena to the two defendants today. The prosecutors and two court officials will go to the Shinawatra residence at Chan Song La (which is their registered home) at 10am today. If there is no one to receive the subpoena, it will be affixed on the house.

Meanwhile, Thaksin, whose 81 million-pound takeover of Manchester City Football Club was confirmed last week, has vowed to be in the director's box rather than the witness box when City kick off the new season at West Ham on August 11, The Mirror reported yesterday.

The new Manchester City owner met Sven Goran Eriksson, the new club manager, for the first time on Tuesday.

It was the same day the Supreme Court decided to hear corruption charges against the former prime minister.

Thaksin has denied all the charges and insisted recently that he won't return home until democracy is restored because he fears he won't receive a fair trial, The Mirror reported.

He has already seen more than Bt67 billion of his assets frozen by the Assets Examination Committee, but has accessed enough funds from overseas to complete the football club takeover.

"I'm quite confident that once democracy has returned in December I will find justice and prove my case," said Thaksin. "But I will not go back now. I would not get justice if I went back now. But I can prove my innocence and I have my lawyers working on it."

Meanwhile, Rakkiat Wattanapong, secretary to the Court, warned that anyone who destroys or removes the subpoena from the Shinawatra house would be arrested.

Rakkiat also warned Noppadol Pattama, Thaksin's lawyer, against giving any opinion - such as by saying there had been political interference in the justice system because judges had already reached a verdict before the trial - as such a comment may be deemed to be in contempt of court.

He also warned Attorney General spokesman Atthapol Yaisawang against giving media interviews about the court procedure because all matters were up to the judges.

"These actions must stop because they could be deemed as an infringement of court authority or contempt of court."

The Ratchadapisek land deal is the first corruption case involving Thaksin to reach the trial stage. But it is the second criminal trial for Pojaman, who is fighting another case for alleged tax evasion.

According to the prosecution review report recommending trial, Thaksin and Pojaman used their position to influence the Financial Institutions Development Fund (FIDF) to sell them the plot at a price much lower than the market price. The original estimated price for the land was Bt2.1 billion. Pojaman, however, paid only Bt772 million through an auction.

Meanwhile, Thaksin's lawyer asked for a 10-day postponement, from today, of a defence against graft charges in connection with rubber sapling purchases.

The Nation, Agencies