Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra (Photo: AFP/VNA) Bangkok (VNA) – The Supreme Court of Thailand on June 6 sentenced former Thai PrimeMinister Thaksin Shinawatra to two years in prison for launching an illegallottery programme while in office more than 10 years ago.
The ruling brought the combined jail termagainst him to five years.
A committee of judges at the court handed downthe ruling with a majority vote on Thaksin who was found guilty of malfeasanceand violation of a law on the wrongdoing of government officials.
According to Bangkok Post, the case involves alottery scheme that Thaksin opened from August 1, 2003 to September 16, 2006when he was prime minister.
He was among the 47 defendants in the case andthe case against him had been shelved after Thaksin fled the country in 2008.
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC)sought the trial against him in absentia last year.
His lottery programme caused total losses of1.67 billion THB (over 53 million USD).
Apart from giving the jail sentence, the courtalso ordered a warrant for the arrest of Thaksin.
In 2008, the court sentenced Thaksin to twoyears in jail for having a conflict of interest after his ex-wife won a biddingcontest to buy a state-owned land plot in inner Bangkok while he was primeminister in 2003. The 10-year statute of limitations of the case expired inOctober last year.
On April 23, the court sentenced him tothree years in jail for ordering the Export-Import Bank of Thailand toadditionally lend 1 billion THB to Myanmar below cost for the benefits of hisfamily's Shin Satellite Plc.-VNA
VNA
