On Friday, the Supreme Court for Political Office Holders is to rule on whether Thaksin concealed his shareholdings in his business empire while he was prime minister between 2001 and 2006 and abused his power to benefit that empire.
If found guilty, the court will confiscate some 2 billion dollars in Thai bank accounts frozen shortly after Thaksin was toppled by a military coup in September 2006.
Thaksin, who has lived in self-exile since August 2008, to avoid a two-year jail term on a previous charge of abuse of power, used microblogging site Twitter to warn Thai authorities of his plans to take his case to the international stage.
“I don’t think I have done anything wrong,” Thaksin tweeted. “If the Thai court doesn’t give me justice, I will take my case to the World Court. I am preparing for this every day.”
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, responding to the Twitter message, said that he would not let Thaksin’s case become a national problem, let alone an international one.
“I don’t see on what grounds he (Thaksin) would raise the case,” Abhisit said.
Thongbai Thongbao, a well-known Thai civil rights activist and lawyer, said Thaksin had no legal basis on which to take his case to The Hague because it was an individual case and he had been allowed a full legal defense at his trial.
Thaksin has repeatedly claimed that the charges against him are all politically motivated, and the Supreme Court for Political Office Holders is biased against him.
The government has stepped up security in Bangkok and the provinces in anticipation of street protests and possible violence this month either before or after the ruling on Thaksin’s assets case.
Thaksin, a billionaire telecommunications tycoon who became prime minister in 2001, has a huge following among the rural and urban poor because of the populist policies he implemented during his two-term premiership.
He was ousted by a coup in September 2006, leaving Thailand deeply divided over his political legacy.
