Thai Supreme Court assesses graft charges against ousted PM

BANGKOK (AFP) - Thai prosecutors on Tuesday filed into the Supreme Court to hear whether judges will agree to consider criminal corruption charges against toppled prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Thaksin and his wife were charged in late June over a controversial land purchase, in the first graft case against the deposed Thai leader to reach court since he was ousted in a bloodless coup in September last year.

Reporters huddled into the courtroom Tuesday, where the judges are expected to announce before 11:00 am (0400 GMT) whether they will take the case or toss out the charges.

Thaksin and his wife Pojaman are each charged with three violations of anti-corruption laws. Thaksin is accused of illegally influencing a deal to allow Pojaman to buy the land from a government agency at a bargain price.

Both Thaksin and Pojaman, who are abroad, could be jailed for up to 13 years and each face a fine of up to 200,000 baht if convicted.

If the panel of nine Supreme Court judges accepts the case Tuesday, prosecutors will be required to present Thaksin and his wife in person during the opening arguments.

However, Thaksin said last week that he will only return to Thailand to face corruption charges if he can be sure of a fair trial.

"I will return to face the facts and trial if and when the justice system goes back to normal," he told Japan's Kyodo News on Thursday.

The junta has cited corruption and abuse of power as the key reason for Thaksin's ouster in last year's bloodless coup, and is under pressure to pin down the billionaire businessman on graft charges.

A number of other cases against Thaksin and his family are slowly making their way through Thailand's legal system.

Anti-graft investigators have already frozen at least 1.52 billion dollars of assets belonging to him and his family.