Former Thai leader on trial for corruption

THAILAND put billionaire former premier Thaksin Shinawatra on trial for corruption yesterday, almost two years after he was toppled from power.

Thaksin and his wife Pojaman — loved by the poor and loathed by the Bangkok elite — were not on hand at the Supreme Court for the opening of a legal saga that could put them behind bars for 13 years.

The case is only one of many being launched against Thaksin and his allies, and threatens to bog down a new government — led by Thaksin loyalists — which suffered two legal defeats yesterday on top of ongoing mass street protests.

The Supreme Court is considering whether Thaksin, who owns football side Manchester City, illegally arranged for his wife to buy a prime chunk of Bangkok real estate for just one-third its appraised value.

“We are confident that our evidence will be enough to prove in the court that Thaksin and his wife are not guilty,” their lawyer said.

Thaksin was ousted from power by royalist generals in the military, who accused him of widespread corruption, undermining the nation’s democracy and insulting Thailand’s revered king.

Hearings will last two months.