Thaksin's lawyers released from jail

Phichit Chuenban and Thana Tansiri left the prison at 6am and got quickly into cars brought by their families to avoid throngs of reporters waiting to interview them.

Supasri Srisawat, a clerk convicted on the same charge, was also released from the Central Female Prison at 9.30am.

Police dropped the bribery charge against the three lawyers two weeks ago and reported their decision to the Special Public Prosecutor at the Criminal Litigation Department, Somjet Chaichalermpreecha.

A public prosecutors' team has been appointed to look into the case to decide whether to pursue or drop the case. The prosecutors may come up with a different opinion to the police and can ask for further inquiries to be made.

Angkanung Lebnark, director of the Central Female Prison, said Supasri could not adjust to prison life and was under heavy stress in the beginning. Prison officials had to look after her closely fearing she could hurt herself. She was persuaded to ordain as a Buddhist nun to help calm her down but she had health problems - a kidney disease that kept her back from

joining the programme.

The three were found guilty of contempt of court on June 10 for trying to bribe ML Thitipong Chompoonuch, a legal officer at the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions, and his colleagues by handing a paper bag containing the snack box stuffed with some Bt2 million in cash. The lawyers represented Thaksin and then his wife Pojaman in the Ratchada land trial, in which the ex-PM was accused of abuse of power while in office for the purchase of a 33-rai block of land on Ratchadaphisek Road from the Bank of Thailand for a sum deemed less than its full value.