The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a new arrest warrant for fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and resumed his trial in absentia on alleged manipulation of telecom concession fees for personal gain 15 years ago.
The case is the first to be revived by public prosecutors of the many cases against Thaksin which were shelved after he fled Thailand in August 2008.
The case was revived under a new provision in the criminal code regarding charges against holders of political office that took effect last year. The change permits the trial of fugitive politicians in absentia.
The Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions in Laksi district issued the new arrest warrant after Thaksin, 69, neither showed up nor sent a lawyer to the court, although a summons was earlier attached to his registered residence in Charan Sanitwong area.
The court considered his no-show on Tuesday as a denial of the charges.
The hearing adjourned, with the court setting July 10 for the examination of evidence and witness lists.
Thaksin was put on trial in July 11, 2008, for allegedly wrongfully changing regulations on telecom concession fees in favour of companies he owned, causing a loss to the state of 68 billion baht, while prime minister.
Public prosecutors told the court that from Feb 9, 2001 to Sept 19, 2006, Thaksin as the prime minister had authority over excise tax and telecom matters.
He ordered the transformation of concession fees paid by businesses under his Shin Corp into excise tax. The companies were Advanced Info Service and Digital Phone, which had been obliged to pay concession fees to state-owned companies TOT and CAT Telecom.
Prosecutors said Thaksin ordered amendments to excise tax laws and a cabinet resolution on the collection of excise tax on telecommunication businesses in 2003 to make changes concerning telecommunication concession fees.
That caused damage to TOT amounting to 41.95 billion baht and CAT Telecom 25.99 billion baht.
Thaksin also failed to order the collection of excise tax on a satellite business, although it provided a telecommunications service. Shin Corp had a satellite concession with the state.
In October 2008, the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions sentenced Thaksin in absentia to two years in prison after finding him guilty of abuse of authority in helping his wife win the bidding for the purchase of prime state land in inner Bangkok
Thaksin has lived in self-imposed exile abroad since fleeing the country in August that year while on bail, after getting permission to attend the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
His then wife, Potjaman na Pombejra, who was also on bail pending appeal after being convicted of evading taxes in connection with a 1997 shares transfer deal, joined him in exile. She has since returned and divorced him.