Fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra faces yet another arrest warrant when he failed to show at the first hearing of a lawsuit related to the rehabilitation of Thai Petrochemical Industry (TPI) company filed against him by the National Anti-Corruption Commission.
Both Thaksin and his lawyers did not show up at the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions for the first hearing of the lawsuit in which Thaksin was charged with malfeasance in office for allegedly ordering financially-strapped TPI under rehabilitation plan managed by the Finance Ministry despite the fact that the ministry has no authority to manage TPI which was a private corporation.
TPI went bankrupt after the 1997 financial crisis and entered a court-ordered rehabilitation plan. However, Thaksin ordered the Finance Ministry to administrate the rehabilitation plan which the ministry has no authority to do so.
The court ruled that Thaksin’s absence without any notification or without a request for postponement of the hearing showed that he intended to skip the trail and issued a warrant for his arrest.
The trial of Thaksin in absentia was made possible by the amendment of the Criminal Procedure Code regarding holders of political positions. However, Thaksin is entitled to appoint one or more lawyers to defend the case on his behalf.
The court also set the next hearings on August 7, 10th and 21st.
On Wednesday, the same court issued a second arrest warrant against the fugitive former prime minister on a revived Krisdamahanakorn’s bank loan case.