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The Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holdiers of Poltical Positions on Thursday issued a warrant for the arrest of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a case involving 11.58 billion baht in loans from state-owned Krung Thai Bank.

In this case, the Office of the Attorney-General filed malfeasance charges against Thaksin and 26 others, including former KTB president Viroj Nualkair.

The OAG prosecuted these people in connection with KTB loans provided to the affiliates of Krisdamahanakorn Plc, a major property and real estate firm.

According to the charges, KTB approved large loans to Krisdamahanakorn's affiliates despite Krisdamahanakorn being classified as a non-performing debtor of the bank.

Under the debt rehabilitation agreement, Krisdamahanakorn was not eligible for any more loans.

All of the defendants, except Thaksin, appeared before the court to hear the charges.

The court, therefore, issued a warrant for the arrest of Thaksin, the first defendant, and shelved the suit against him.

The lawsuit can be renewed when Thaksin is brought to the court, said a court judge.

The court set Jan 25 next year for the examination of evidence. All defendants were told to submit their evidence 14 days before the appointment date.
http://www.bangko...-bank-case

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Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra does not accept the Supreme Court's decision to issue a warrant for his arrest in the Krung Thai Bank loan scandal case, Thaksin's legal adviser Noppadon Pattama said on Thursday.


Fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra (Post Photo)

"Thaksin remains overseas and also remains firm that he will not accept the consequences of the coup d'état [on Sept 19, 2006]," Mr Noppadon said.

He said his boss will not accept any cases launched by the now-defunct Assets Scrutiny Committee (ASC) because they were his political adversary.

"He [Thaksin] wants his cases to be carried out in a legal manner. Thaksin must receive equal rights as other Thai people.

"Thaksin was not involved with the Krung Thai Bank loan case since it was up to the bank executives to decide on granting loans," said the lawyer.

The deposed premier knew about the arrest warrant from the internet and he was now in Moscow and will travel to England later, he added.

The Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions on Thursday issued a warrant for Thaksin's arrest in a case involving 11.58 billion baht in loans from state-owned Krung Thai Bank.

http://www.bangko...-thai-bank

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U-turn seen on Thaksin passport

Foreign Ministry request for 30 days to reply to Ombudsman is step towards revocation, source says

The Foreign Ministry appears set to revoke former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's Thai passport after requesting another 30 days to respond to a recommendation by the Office of the Ombudsman that it review the issuance of the document, a high-ranking ministry source said yesterday.

The ministry needs the 30-day period from today for the "complete compilation of relevant documents", according to its reply to the Ombudsman's Office, which submitted its recommendation to the ministry on September 13. The source, citing an agreement by ministry officials responsible for visa issuance, said the delay would likely result in the ministry having to revoke the passport.

The office said it has received the ministry's written request for the 30-day period and would grant the extension if it sees fit.

"The issue would have dragged on anyway, had the ministry insisted on [standing by its] issuance of the passport to Thaksin, as the Ombudsman's Office would likely pursue the matter through other channels, including the ultimate means - through a complaint with the Administrative Court," he added.

"And when the matter reaches the Administrative Court, there would be many people held responsible, all of whom are ministry officials, ranging from the head of the visa division and the director-general of the Consular Department to the permanent secretary," the source said.

"The ministry will also submit inquiries to the Consular Department and the Royal Thai Police as to whether they would still need to summon Thaksin for prosecution. And coupled with their likely replies to the summons, the ministry has no choice but to review its policy on the passport for Thaksin," he said.

Another factor prompting the ministry leadership to rethink the passport issue is an objection voiced by former foreign minister Kasit Piromya. The objection rendered weightless an earlier assertion by the ministry - which is currently under Pheu Thai leadership - that no objections to issuing a passport to Thaksin had been forthcoming.

Hesitation among the ministry's leadership over the matter has also emerged since Sihasak Phuangketkeow became permanent secretary, taking over from predecessor Theerakul Niyom, who was the one who decided to issue the passport. Sihasak has been left to decide how to respond to the Ombudsman's Office, the source said.

"These [factors] have all now contributed in the requested 30-day time frame, and likely revocation," he added.

In September, the Ombudsman's Office advised the Foreign Ministry to review its decision to issue a new passport to Thaksin. It said it was illegal to issue the passport to the fugitive former premier, who fled a court verdict in 2008 that sentenced him to two years in jail for abuse of power.

In response, the ministry said it would study the Ombudsman's recommendation that Thaksin's passport be revoked and that it would handle the case in accordance with laws and regulations.

Thaksin's Thai passport was revoked in April 2009 by then foreign minister Kasit. The current minister, Surapong Towichukchaikul, issued Thaksin a new one in October last year via the Thai Embassy in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, where the ex-leader has been living in self-exile.
http://www.nation...92280.html
The Supreme Court on Thursday issued an arrest warrant against Thaksin for failing to show up to hear the court’s decision in the Krung Thai Bank loan scandal case.

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Likely about-turn on Thaksin's passport seen as a move to save the govt

The Foreign Ministry's likely U-turn on the issue of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's passport reflects a strategy of "nipping in the bud" any threat to the Yingluck government after realising the dangers of a political backlash if it refuses to revoke the passport issued to the fugitive leader last year.

The Foreign Ministry early this week was preparing to issue a letter to the Ombudsman's Office, stating that it will not review its issuance of a Thai passport to Thaksin. But the latest development is that the ministry has had a change of heart.

The ministry on Friday submitted a letter to the Ombudsman's Office requesting that the office give it another 30 days to collect complete information and relevant documents to clarify its issuance of a travelling document to Thaksin.

Acting on a complaint filed by Somsak Kosaisuk, former core leader of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), the Ombudsman's Office submitted its recommendation on September 13 that the Foreign Ministry review the issue of Thaksin's passport. The ministry must respond to the Ombudsman within 30 days.

The decision whether Thaksin's passport should be cancelled is not so complicated that the ministry needs more time to scrutinise the matter. When it first received the request from the Ombudsman's Office, the ministry did not seem to be perturbed. The U-turn could be interpreted as a change in the government's stance on the matter.

Reports said that the ministry's review of its decision could point towards Thaksin's passport being revoked again.

Thaksin's Thai passport was revoked the first time after his government was brought down by the September 19, 2006 coup. Two months after General Surayud Chulanont was installed as PM, Thaksin's special passport as PM and his ordinary passport were revoked. The Foreign Ministry cited its 2005 ministerial directive number 8 that PM and diplomats must give up their special passport after leaving the office. According to the protocol, the Foreign Ministry can resort to revoking travelling documents in such circumstances.

Thaksin was given back his ordinary passport when Noppadon Pattama became Foreign Minister in 2008 but his passport was revoked again by the Abhisit government.

After the April 11, 2009 riots, when the red shirts forced the cancellation of a summit of Asean leaders in Pattaya, then foreign minister Kasit Piromya cited Foreign Ministry directive No 23 (7) to revoke Thaksin's passport on the grounds that his stay overseas had caused damage to the country and to foreign countries. Kasit said that Thaksin had incited the red shirts to stage riots, which posed a security threat to the country.

Since the passport issue has been regarded by Thaksin as a political subject, once his sister became the premier, he got his passport back. The Yingluck government pointed out that it has a different political perspective from those of the Surayud and Abhisit governments on the matter.

But what's behind the government's sudden change of heart over whether to revoke Thaksin's passport?

The answer is this issue can be used by the judicial activists to exercise their mandate.

If the Foreign Ministry ignores or rejects the recommendation, the matter would not be put to rest but likely be brought to the Administrative Court by the Ombudsman's Office.

The Foreign Ministry cannot rule out the possibility that the Administrative Court would order the ministry to revoke Thaksin's passport. If this is the case, the Yingluck government would come under attack from many state agencies. First, the National Anti-Corruption Commission can take action against relevant state officials from directors-general, the ministry's permanent secretary, the Foreign Minister and PM Yingluck Shinawatra.

The fact is that Thaksin does not really need the Thai passport because he has a Montenegro passport that he can use to travel everywhere except to Thailand. The revocation of the passport once again will only be a blow to his ego.

But it looks like he has to give in otherwise he would be opening a legal channel for the judicial activists to exercise their power and history may repeat itself. His nominee PM may be replaced again.

One strategy the Pheu Thai Party must stick to is to avoid doing anything that could lead to the party being disbanded. Thaksin knows too well he must nip in the bud this impending storm over his passport.

http://www.nation...92303.html