The wife of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was handed an arrest warrant today after she returned to Thailand to face corruption charges that could put her behind bars for 20 years.

Deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra will be arrested if he returns home from a self-imposed exile, even if his victorious allies form a government, Thailand said today.

Thai authorities are preparing to call for deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to be extradited from the UK.

Thailand’s Supreme Court today agreed to hear a corruption case against ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra over alleged wrongdoing in a land deal, in the top court’s first case against the exiled former premier.

Family members of deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra are still in Thailand amid speculation that they stayed behind to protect his vast assets against possible confiscation by the country’s new military rulers.