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Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra of Thailand and his
family will petition the government to release more than 60 billion
baht of assets that were frozen after he was toppled in a coup last
year.
The petition, to be filed with the Assets Examination Committee
on Friday, will claim that the money, which amounts to about $2
billion, was "earned honestly," Noppadol Pattama, a lawyer for the
billionaire and his family, told a news conference Monday in
Bangkok.
The bank accounts were frozen in June because the committee said
they held cash from the family's sale of Shin Corp. last year. The
sale of the shares to Singapore's state-owned Temasek Holdings
exacerbated protests that culminated in the September coup that
ousted Thaksin. The company controls the biggest cellphone and
satellite enterprises in Thailand.
The asset panel, set up by the military junta that has
controlled the country since the coup, has been investigating the
former prime minister, his family and members of his former cabinet
for alleged violations in project approvals, share sales and other
transactions. Thaksin's wife and brother-in-law are facing
separate criminal tax fraud charges.
Thaksin has already filed a 50 billion-baht civil suit against
the committee, claiming that its move to freeze the accounts
prevented the Shinawatras from earning investment returns, Noppadol
said Thursday.
The junta set up the committee five days after seizing power and
later gave it more authority to freeze the assets of politicians
under investigation for alleged graft and to investigate projects
involving members of the deposed government.
Prosecutors on June 21 filed charges against Thaksin and his
wife, Pojamarn, over their purchase of land from the central bank.
The case will be heard Aug. 14.
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