Thaksin not allowed to leave country

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(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-07-05 10:18

Thailand's former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who faces a slew of court cases, has been barred from leaving the country by order of the Supreme Court, a court official said on Friday.

Manchester City's owner Thaksin Shinawatra gestures before their English Premier League soccer match against Fulham in Manchester, northern England April 26, 2008. [Agencies]

Thaksin and his wife Pojaman are due to appear in court on Tuesday to face charges of abuse of power and conflict of interest in the purchase of prime Bangkok real estate during his term.

Toppled in a 2006 military coup, Thaksin and his family face other court action, including charges of tax evasion against his wife. The Bangkok Criminal Court said on Friday a sentence in that case will be delivered July 31.

"The court ruled that his request for foreign trips was not justified at this time," Rakkiat Pattanaphong, secretary general of the Supreme Court, said.

Last month, Thaksin's defense lawyer said his client wanted to travel to China, Japan and England, where he owns property and the Manchester City football club.

In next week's case, Thaksin and Pojaman have been charged with malfeasance and conflict of interest for the 2003 purchase of a plot of land in central Bangkok from a government agency.

An anti-corruption law bars prime ministers and their spouses from doing business with government agencies.

But there is some dispute over whether the law applies in this case because the agency that sold the land was not technically under the authority of the prime minister.

Both Thaksin and his wife have pleaded innocent.