The suspended court cases against former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra related to the Krungthai Bank loan scandal and mobile phone concession fee changes can proceed despite his absence, the new attorney-general said on Friday.
Khemchai Chutiwong, who took office on Oct 1, said the new criminal procedure code on criminal cases for political position holders allowed the court to try such cases without the presence of the defendants. The law took effect on Sept 29.
He made the comment in response to questions about the two cases that the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions had shelved after Thaksin fled the country in 2008.
Mr Khemchai said he would form a working group to review the issue and that public prosecutors would send a request to the court asking for the cases to be revived.
Thaksin was the first defendant in the Krungthai lending case in which the state-owned bank was found to have inappropriately lent about 10 billion baht to subsidiaries of Krisdamahanakorn Plc in 2003-04 while he was prime minister. The property developer at the time was classified as a non-performing debtor of the bank, but it was alleged that KTB faced political pressure to make the loans.
In 2015, the Supreme Court sentenced 16 people to jail terms ranging from 12 to18 years for malfeasance in connection with the case. They included three former KTB executives who got 18 years.
Thaksin also faces a charge of malfeasance for pushing for legal amendments to allow telecom concessionaires, including companies he owned through nominees, to deduct excise taxes from their concession fees. Damage to the state enterprises that granted the concessions was estimated at tens of billions of baht.
The cases were shelved as Thaksin left the country in 2008 just before the court sentenced him to two years in prison in a separate conflict-of-interest case. It involved the purchase by his then-wife of state land in a prime location in Bangkok in 2003 while Thakain was prime minister.