JURIST - Paper Chase: Criminal charges recommended for family of ex-Thailand PM

[JURIST] The Assets Examination Committee in Thailand [JURIST news archive], charged with investigating allegations of corruption by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra [JURIST news archive; BBC profile] and his family, recommended Monday that criminal tax evasion charges be filed against Thaksin's wife, Pojaman Shinawatra, as well as her secretary and her brother, Bhanapot Damapong. The recommended tax evasion charges stem from an alleged failure to pay taxes on their 1997 transfer of stock in Shin Corporation [corporate website; Wikipedia backgrounder], the family business founded by Thaksin in 1983 and formerly known as Shinawatra Computer. This alleged corruption scandal occurred before Thaksin took office in 2001.

The Royal Thai Army [official website] seized power from Thaksin in a bloodless military coup [JURIST report] September 19, leading to the imposition of martial law [JURIST news archive]. Since then, the new Thai government has struggled to find evidence [JURIST report] of Thaksin's alleged corruption prior to the coup. AP has more.

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