Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Thaksin set to face further charges

Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra's struggle to clear his name and recover £800m took another turn for the worse yesterday when a court in Bangkok accepted charges in a third criminal case against the former Thai Prime Minister.

Thaksin and dozens of government workers and ministers are accused of abuse of power in a state lottery that lost around £500m from 2003. The telecoms billionaire must now await a court hearing in September which will decree whether he and 46 others involved in alleged tax exemption and misspending irregularities must repay the money.

>>independent.co.uk

I'm surprised at the relatively limited coverage this has received (in the UK anyway) given the fact the press were all over him last season following his arrival and the subsequent legal issues he faced, but it is further evidence that things are not going completely in our owners favour.

Recent reports coming out of Thailand (a good round-up here) suggested that far from Thaksin seeing all charges against him quickly dropped once his 'political friends' gained power, it has been far from easy for Thaksin to clear his name and unfreeze his assets with the political landscape still uncertain.

I don't believe ome of the over reaction that Thaksin's current issues will affect our immediate transfer prospects - and the club are believed to be looking to back Mark Hughes, but it is another blow to the club in terms of its PR - which could get a whole lot worse in the near future.

Some further links regarding the charges:

vote it up!

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