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The first of a series of corruption cases being brought against the
former Prime Minister of Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra, is due to
begin in Bangkok.
Mr Thaksin was ousted by a military coup last year.
He is ordered to appear at the Supreme Court to hear charges he
abused his power by helping his wife buy land from a state agency
at a favourable price.
Mr Thaksin, who now owns Manchester City FC and lives in
Britain, will be represented in Bangkok by his lawyers.
Alleged corruption under Mr Thaksin's administration was one of
the main justifications given by the generals who mounted the coup,
but it has proved difficult bringing the cases to court.
'No temptation'
When he was first elected Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra
insisted his immense personal wealth offered a clear advantage -
there would be no temptation, he said, to repeat the corruption
endemic in previous governments.
But a special committee set up to investigate Mr Thaksin after
last year's coup believes that under him a number of abuses did
take place - the first case is now being heard by the Supreme
Court, which is responsible for trying political
office-holders.
The prosecution argues that Mr Thaksin violated anti-corruption
laws when he helped his wife to buy land in one of Bangkok's prime
locations four years ago, from a government agency.
Mr Thaksin's lawyers say he did not have a direct supervisory
role over the agency, so there was no conflict of interest.
There are at least 12 other cases of alleged corruption being
investigated.
The most serious allegations are that he concealed his real
assets through a complex network of off-shore companies, and that
his policies helped enrich his family's giant telecoms
business.
Mr Thaksin's lawyers have denied all the charges, describing
them as attempts by his political opponents to discredit him.
If convicted on any of the charges he could face years in
prison.
The cases also have a bearing on his recent purchase of the
English football club Manchester City, as the Premier League's own
rules prohibit anyone with convictions for fraud or bribery from
owning a club.
Source:
BBC
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