A Thai court has found the wife of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra guilty of tax evasion and has sentenced her to three years in prison.
Today’s long-awaited ruling strikes a major blow to Thaksin, the Manchester City FC owner, who was ousted in a 2006 coup.
He has long denied any wrongdoing by his family in the tax case and several other corruption cases against him.
Pojaman Shinawatra is widely expected to appeal.
Thaksin accompanied his wife to Bangkok’s Criminal Court today, where several hundred supporters clapped and cheered the family’s arrival. The couple’s three children were also present.
The 51-year-old former first lady, her brother and secretary face charges of evading millions of dollars in taxes in 1997 through a complicated transfer of shares in the family’s flagship business that involved placing stocks in the name of one of the family’s maids.
All three have pleaded not guilty.
Pojaman, known for her taste in designer clothes and coifed hair, wore a blue blouse and pearl necklace for the court appearance. She and Thaksin did not comment to reporters.