November 11 set for formal charges

The date has nothing to do with the court hearing scheduled for a verdict on the case against former BBC president Krirk-kiat Jalichandra, said Seksan Bangsombun, director general of the Attorney-General's Office's Department of Economic Crime Litigation.

Saxena has been brought to Thailand after spending more than 10 years in exile in Canada, to face embezzlement charges as well as accusations for his alleged role in helping Krirk-kiat grant a Bt1.65 billion loan to Citi Trading, jointly owned by Krirk-kiat, without a collateral.

A police investigation and a subsequent recommendation to prosecute Saxena were yesterday formally handed over to Seksan. The 90-page document includes a doctor's report declaring that Saxena as mentally and physically sound when giving statements to police at an interrogation upon arrival.

Five senior prosecutors have been assigned to study the documents and additional statements from two key witnesses, which are separate from the testimonies of 94 witnesses. The fact that Saxena escaped would also be put in the prosecutors' indictment so he was not allowed bail during the upcoming trial, Seksan said.

Saxena would also be indicted for 20 other cases related to actions that allegedly resulted in the collapse of the BBC, Seksan said. He refused to comment on whether the investigation would lead to politicians who were part of a now-extinct faction of the Chat Thai Party.

"The indictment will rely solely on evidence obtained through police investigation.

"It is not be known whether Saxena will implicate anybody during the trial," he said.

In January 2004, Krirk-kiat was sentenced to a 10-year prison term and fined Bt2.26 billion. He has also been ordered to pay Bt1.13 billion plus interest to BBC stakeholders in compensation for causing it to collapse.