In Pictures: The World's 10 Most Wanted White-Collar Fugitives

Thaksin Shinawatra

Until his September 2006 ouster, the former Thai prime minister was not only the political leader of his homeland but also one of its most successful businessmen, having made a fortune in the telecom business. After the bloodless coup, he went to England, where in July 2007 he paid an estimated $165 million to acquire a controlling stake in Manchester City Football Club. Returning to Thailand earlier this year, he saw his wife, Potjaman, sentenced to three years for dodging millions in taxes on a 1997 transfer of shares in the family business, Shin Corp.

Shinawatra himself faces an "abuse of authority" charge over a reported $90 million 2004 loan from Export-Import Bank of Thailand to Burma so that the neighboring country could buy satellite services from the Shinawatras' company. After attending the Olympics' opening ceremony in Beijing, he and Potjaman headed to London to seek asylum. The Thai government is considering an extradition request "He jumped the bail and fled the country--that's a fact," says Damrong Kraikruan of the Thai embassy in Washington.

http://www.forbes.com/2008/08/27/legal-cri...thisSpeed=30000

---Forbes

LaoPo

In Pictures: The World's 10 Most Wanted White-Collar Fugitives

Thaksin Shinawatra