Former Thai premier Thaksin sentenced to two years (Roundup)

Oct 21, 2008, 10:31 GMT

Thai supporters of former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra shout \'We Love Thaksin\' while Thailand\'s Supreme Court panel reading its verdict in an abuse of power case involving of him, outside the Supreme Court, Bangkok, Thailand, 21 October 2008.EPA/NARONG SANGNAK

Bangkok - In a ruling expected to ease political tensions in Bangkok, Thailand's Supreme Court on Tuesday sentenced former premier Thaksin Shinawatra to two years in prison for abuse of power in allowing his wife to purchase a plot of land at a government auction.

His wife, Pojaman, a co-defendant in the case, was acquitted in a 7-2 ruling by the nine judges of the Supreme Court for Political Office Holders.

The same court ruled 5-4 against Thaksin, sentencing him to jail for abusing his power as a state official in knowingly allowing his wife to bid 772 million baht (22.7 million dollars) on 5.3 hectares of land in central Bangkok in 2003.

'Pojaman was not grouped under the same judgement as her husband because she was not a government official when she purchased the land,' said Seksant Bangsomboom, the head of the prosecution team.

The court ruled that the prime piece of real estate on Ratchadaphisek Road must be returned to the state while the money would be returned to Pojaman.

The former first couple were not in court to hear the verdict. They are living in self-imposed exile in London, where they fled August 10, days after the Bangkok Criminal Court sentenced Pojaman to three years in jail for tax evasion.

'The attorney general will be seeking Thaksin's extradition very shortly,' Seksant said.

Thaksin has the right to appeal the verdict.

The sentence would expire in 10 years, after which Thaksin could return to Thailand without fear of being jailed, Seksant said.

The ruling is expected to take the edge off the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) movement, a loose coalition of conservative groups whose main mission has been the prevent Thaksin from returning to power.

The PAD has been staging anti-government protests in Bangkok since May, and on August 26 stormed and captured Government House which they have occupied since.

The court's ruling was greeted by shouts of 'We have won' by PAD followers still camped out at Government House.

'I think they have achieved their goals,' said Kraisak Choonhavan, a member of the opposition Democrat Party, which has given its tacit backing to the PAD.

'The PAD was a bit suspicious of whether the judiciary would work because its never really functioned property in the past,' he said.

'I think now it's time to give it a rest,' he said of the movement, echoing the sentiments of many Thais weary with the incessant PAD demonstrations in Bangkok.

Thaksin was toppled in a bloodless military coup in September 2006 on accusations of mass corruption, dividing the nation and undermining the institutions of democracy and the monarchy.

Although he faces several court cases, the land case was the first in which he has been found guilty and sentenced.

Thaksin, a former billionaire telecommunications tycoon who was prime minister from 2001 to 2006, remains a divisive figure in Thai society.

Thaksin introduced populist policies to Thailand's long tradition of money politics, winning himself a strong following among the country's rural and urban poor, many of whom continue to see him as their champion.

Despite living in exile, Thaksin is known to be the prime mover behind the People Power Party (PP), which leads the current government and came to power in December general elections on an unabashedly pro-Thaksin platform.

The possibility of a Thaksin political comeback has prompted the PAD to hold protests in Bangkok since May, culminating with its seizure in August of Government House, the seat of the executive branch of the government.

Despite the protestors' increasingly illegal behaviour, the government has been powerless to end the PAD demonstrations, which have the backing of powerful figures within the Bangkok political elite.

A government crackdown on the PAD on October 7, which left two PAD followers dead and more than 400 injured, prompted the commander-in-chief of Thailand's army, General Anupong Pasojinda, to call for the resignation of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat as a show of responsibility for the violence.

Somchai, Thaksin's brother-in-law, has so far turned down the general's suggestion.