Wife of ousted Thai PM Thaksin arrested
The wife of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was arrested after she returned to Thailand on Tuesday to face corruption charges that could put her behind bars for 20 years, police said. Police presented Pojamarn Shinawatra with an arrest warrant at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport that went into effect after she signed it, said police Maj. Gen. Thaweesak Toochinda.
Former Prime Minister Thaksin, who was ousted in a September 2006 military coup, saw his wife off earlier Tuesday in Hong Kong.
"See ya honey! Don't forget to write!" | Pojamarn, wearing dark sunglasses and a black suit, was taken to the Supreme Court, where she smiled as she passed a crowd of journalists, escorted by her legal team and police.
The case involves Pojamarn's 2003 purchase of some prime Bangkok real estate from the Financial Institutions Development Fund - a state rescue fund directed by the central bank. An anti-corruption law bars prime ministers or their spouses from doing business with government agencies.
Posted by: Fred 2008-01-09 |