Thailand To Talk With England On Extradition Of Ex-PM

Thailand To Talk With England On Extradition Of Ex-PM
The Wall Street Journal (13 October 2007)

BANGKOK (AP)--Thai prosecutors flew to England Friday to discuss with their British counterparts the possibility of extraditing ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to face corruption charges back home. "The purpose of the trip is to consult with British prosecutors to see if the charges (that Thaksin faces) in the Supreme Court are considered offenses that could be subject to penalty in both countries, and whether that could be a basis for his extradition," Thai Attorney-General Chaikasem Nitisiri told reporters. In general, countries will only extradite a suspect if he is charged with an offense that is a crime in the country where he is taking refuge as well as the country seeking custody. Extradition is usually a lengthy and complicated procedure, and most Western countries are also reluctant to agree to it in cases involving political figures. Chaikasem said four prosecutors are expected to be in England for nine days to discuss legal procedures, which are based on a 1911 bilateral extradition treaty signed by the two countries, but that they would not ask for extradition during this trip. Thaksin has been living in exile since he was overthrown in a bloodless coup in September last year. His wife, Pojamarn, later joined him in London. Anti-graft bodies set up by the coup leaders have launched several investigations into his alleged corruption. Thailand's Supreme Court in August issued arrest warrants for Thaksin - who served as prime minister from 2001-2006 - and his wife relating to a controversial 2003 land deal. Thaksin was charged with conflict of interest because Pojamarn bought the land from a government agency while her husband was prime minister. A Thai criminal court issued arrest warrants last month for the couple involving charges of concealing their assets in a public company. By law, Cabinet members are barred from possessing more than a 5% stockholding in publicly listed companies. Thaksin was overthrown after months of demonstrations calling for his resignation because of alleged corruption and abuse of power. Since then, the military-appointed government that succeeded him has launched several investigations into his alleged corruption and has frozen millions of dollars of his family's assets.