The Bank of Thailand will file corruption charges against deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra after graft-busters found two fraudulent cases involving the deposed leader, a minister said yesterday.
Finance Minister Pridiyathorn Devakula said the central bank would bring the case to a criminal court.
Corruption busters appointed by the ruling junta late on Monday found Thaksin was involved in an alleged overpriced purchase of equipment at Bangkok's new Suvarnabhumi Airport and a controversial land deal in 2003.
The junta, which came to power after toppling the Thaksin government in a bloodless coup in September, justified the putsch by saying that rampant corruption during his five years in office had undermined democracy.
The army-installed government is investigating his family's business deals, including their January sale of Shin Corp shares to Singapore's Temasek Holdings.
Thaksin's family sold their 49 percent stake in Shin Corp, a telecom giant founded by the former prime minister, to the Singaporean state-linked investment firm for US$1.9 billion under a tax-free deal.
Thaksin's legal adviser, Noppadon Patama, said yesterday that his client is ready to return home to defend himself against any charges.
"Under the law, Thaksin must defend himself against any allegations and he is ready to come back because it's difficult to defend [oneself] while living overseas in exile," Noppadon said.
He said Thaksin was living in Beijing but declined to say when he could come back home.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet gave coup leaders 555 million baht (US$15.3 million) yesterday to run a "Peackeeping Command" whose job is to maintain political stability through intelligence and psychological operations, officials said.
The command, consisting of 13,625 staff from the military and police, has been tasked with working until a new government is installed after elections due in September.
Official said the aim was to prevent political turbulence that Thaksin's supporters might cause.
"We will monitor their movement, but discreetly, so that they won't feel uncomfortable or uneasy about being followed," said Colonel Sunsern Kaewkumnerd, spokesman for the junta's Council for National Security.
Sunsern said the intelligence staff would pay special attention to politicians in the north and northeast, Thaksin's stronghold.
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