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BANGKOK - Thailand's Supreme Court said Friday it would proceed with a corruption trial against ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife, even with the couple now living in exile.
Thaksin and his wife Pojaman jumped bail Monday and fled to Britain. The Supreme Court has issued warrants for their arrest, and Thai prosecutors are considering an extradition request.
Lawyers for the tycoon, who owns the English Premier League club Manchester City, asked the court to suspend the hearings while Thaksin is out of the country.
But the court struck down their request, insisting that the trial would proceed as scheduled with Thaksin and Pojaman in absentia.
"The court considers that the defendants are still in the court's jurisdiction because the defendants had surrendered to authorities, and the court had granted them bail," chief judge Tonglor Chomngarm said.
"The court still has jurisdiction to proceed with the case and there is no reason to dismiss the case," he added.
The case, one of a dozen facing Thaksin, accuses him of using his political influence as prime minister to help his wife buy a plot of prime Bangkok real estate from the central bank at a bargain price.
They each face up to 13 years in prison if convicted. Because the case is before the Supreme Court, they would have no avenue of appeal.
Authorities have already frozen 76 billion baht (2.3 billion dollars) of Thaksin's assets pending resolution of the case. –AFP/yt
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