Verdict reading on Thaksin's assets case begins
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The verdict reading on Thailand's ex-premier Thaksin shinawatra's frozen assets kicked off in the Supreme Court around 1:30 p.m. on Friday.
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Thaksin shinawatra [Xinhua File Photo] |
The Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political Office Holders is expected to give the final verdict on whether to unfreeze, confiscate or partially confiscate the 76-billion-baht ( about 2.3 billion U.S. dollars) assets of Thaksin and his family, and the procedure may last two or three hours before the nine judges vote and hand down the final ruling.
Thaksin, the self-exiled ex-premier, was ousted by a military coup in 2006 and sentenced in absentia to two-year imprisonment under the charge of conflict of interests in 2008. After the coup, the military-regime-appointed Assets Examination Committee ordered a freeze on domestic bank accounts held by Thaksin and his wife Pojaman, claiming Thaksin had become unusually wealthy while in office.
Thaksin earlier said that he would monitor the live broadcast of the verdict in Dubai and that none of his family members would attend the verdict session.
According to The Nation online, about three companies of policemen are deployed to guard the Suprme Court compound and surrounding areas Friday, while Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban said the situation is stable.
Red Siam, a splinter group of the pro-Thaksin movement "red shirts", announced Tuesday that they would hold rallies at the nearby Sanam Luang square from afternoon to midnight, everyday from Thursday to Saturday.
