Thai ex-PM Sought for Malfeasance Trial No-show

12 October 2012

Thailand’s Supreme Court has issued an arrest warrant for self-exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra for failing to appear at a trial alleging misconduct in a loan scandal. The court says Thaksin was aware of Thursday’s hearing, at which his 26 co-defendants all appeared. His case was postponed indefinitely. The defendants are charged with malfeasance for allowing government-owned Krung Thai Bank to lend about 11.58 billion baht ($377 million) to property developer Krisdamahanakorn Plc. The company was barred from such loans because of failure to repay previous debts.—AP