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In a press conference, spokesmen for the courts of justice denied that the court's president, Virat Limvichai, had instructed court officials to determine whether Thaksin made any comment in contempt of court which could lead to legal action.

"The Office of the Court of Justice insists that the Supreme Court president was incorrectly cited. The news reports were groundless," said Prasong Mahaleetrakul, spokesman for the Court of Justice.

Sarawut Benjakul, the Court of Justice deputy secretary-general, told the same press conference that the Supreme Court president had not called a meeting of senior court officials and judges of the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political Office Holders, as reported.

He denied that the court president had set up a working group specially to monitor Thaksin's address.

Sarawut said the court of justice was a national institution and that "everybody should help take care of it".

He said no committee had been established to look into the ex-premier's earlier comments criticising the court after Thaksin was sentenced to two years in jail in connection with the Ratchadaphisek land-scandal case.

Thaksin, in reacting to the verdict, had suggested that it was politically motivated.Thaksin's wife, Pojaman, who won bidding for a coveted land plot from the state-run Financial Institutions Development Fund at a price much lower than the market, was acquitted in the case.