Thaksin lawyer says no grounds for new Thai tax claim

[webfact]

Thaksin lawyer says no grounds for new Thai tax claim

REUTERS

 

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra looks on as he speaks to Reuters during an interview in Singapore February 23, 2016. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - A lawyer for ousted Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra said on Wednesday there were no grounds for a new tax claim against him over the sale of shares in a telecoms company over a decade ago.

 

The military government has said its revenue department is estimating the tax amount and will have finalised the figures before a March 31 deadline to file a claim over the sale of shares in Shin Corp. to Singapore's Temasek Holdings [TEM.UL].

 

Thai media have estimated that the tax claim could be up to 16 billion baht ($460 million).

 

Allies of Thaksin say discussion of a new tax claim is politically motivated. He has lived in exile since being overthrown in 2006 to avoid corruption charges, but his populist movement remains at the heart of political division in Thailand.

 

A court ruled against an attempt by tax authorities to claim 12 billion baht ($350 million) on the share sale from Thaksin's children in 2010, said Thaksin's lawyer Noppadon Pattama. The court said they could not be taxed because the shares were owned by Thaksin and his wife, he said.

 

Noppadon said that the sale of the shares was tax exempt because it was done through the stock exchange.

 

"These are the basic arguments which are very powerful and enough to take care of the whole issue," he told reporters in Bangkok.

"Dr. Thaksin hopes that he will get fair treatment regarding this issue in accordance with the law... Dr. Thaksin believes the strict enforcement of the rule of law will lead to reconciliation."

 

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha told reporters on Tuesday that due process would be followed in any tax claim.

 

The army overthrew a government led by Thaksin's sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, in 2014 in the name of ending political turmoil.

Last month, the junta started reconciliation hearings with political parties ahead of elections that could happen as early as next year, but those talks do not touch on Thaksin's fate.

 

($1 = 34.6500 baht)

 

(Writing by Matthew Tostevin; Editing by Nick Macfie)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-03-23

[AGareth2]

sorry old boy

don't you get it

If they can't get him they will get his money

[steven100]

Thaksins lawyer has alot to learn .....     Khun Prayuth is after you .... 

[Eric Loh]

Don't fret. Prayut need a miracle.

[AGareth2]

5 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

Don't fret. Prayut need a miracle.

Art 44?

[Eric Loh]

18 minutes ago, AGareth2 said:

Art 44?

The man said that he will not use 44 and we know how trust worthy is this man with promises. 

[Baerboxer]

"The army overthrew a government led by Thaksin's sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, in 2014"

 

No they didn't Reuters. She was removed by a court for an illegal abuse of power prior to any action to remove the PTP caretaker government.

 

Makes you wonder just how many stories from around the world have these little inaccuracies in their detail.

 

Everything against him is politically motivated according to Thaksin and his cronies. Would that include the serious Krungthai bank fraud for which his co-defendants were imprisoned? Or the 15 or so other serious cases awaiting his presence? No mention of those eh Reuters?

 

Thaksin's lawyer will get his chance to argue the case in court. 

[seajae]

if they do take his money will we see him get the red shirts to do a repeat of 2010 when they also took money from him, he has a habit of using his personal terrorist group to right any wrongs he doesnt like. 

[elgordo38]

4 hours ago, AGareth2 said:

sorry old boy

don't you get it

If they can't get him they will get his money

They will make him bleed green if they cannot get the red stuff. Its a case of total humiliation.

[yellowboat]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Allies of Thaksin say discussion of a new tax claim is politically motivated

That and the government needs money for subs for their egos. 

21 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

No they didn't Reuters. She was removed by a court for an illegal abuse of power prior to any action to remove the PTP caretaker government.

 

Makes you wonder just how many stories from around the world have these little inaccuracies in their detail.

Yeah gosh that is like totally like common knowledge.  Like everyone believes that.  Yeah the courts, the courts.  That's the ticket.  It was done all nice and legal like. 

Edited March 23, 2017 by yellowboat

[elgordo38]

4 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

Don't fret. Prayut need a miracle.

When you hold a position like his you just say like in Star Trek "make it so"

[wprime]

27 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

"The army overthrew a government led by Thaksin's sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, in 2014"

 

No they didn't Reuters. She was removed by a court for an illegal abuse of power prior to any action to remove the PTP caretaker government.

 

Makes you wonder just how many stories from around the world have these little inaccuracies in their detail.

 

Everything against him is politically motivated according to Thaksin and his cronies. Would that include the serious Krungthai bank fraud for which his co-defendants were imprisoned? Or the 15 or so other serious cases awaiting his presence? No mention of those eh Reuters?

 

Thaksin's lawyer will get his chance to argue the case in court. 

Hah that's nothing. Back during the protests AFP reported that the anti government protestors attacked the red shirt buses with at least one person shot dead.

 

What actually happened was Ramkhamhaeng students blew whistles at the red shirts, the red shirts got angry, attacked them and the person shot dead was a Ramkhamhaeng student (though not proven to be the red shirts shooting either). 

 

The way they worded it however made the students look like armed, murdering protestors when really it was one of them who got murdered.

[natway09]

We already know that it is "unearned income" by a self regulated law change the day before.

The only defence that I see is that the courts may just call it " windfall income"

When the courts first ruled they would have been scared to rule against the man. Maybe not now ?

[Ricardo]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

He has lived in exile since being overthrown in 2006

 

Reuters ought to recheck their 'facts', I distinctly recall former-PM Thaksin returning to Thailand during 2008, when there was a court-case underway against him ?  

 

How could he have returned in 2008, during the government of the late PM-Samak & the Thaksin-supporting PPP, if he was "in exile" as claimed ? 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/aug/11/thailand

 

It might be more accurate to say, that he's lived in self-exile since 2008, when he left the country to attend the opening-ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.  The reason he subsequently failed to return may well have been to avoid further charges of corruption, as Reuters claim in the OP, or might have more to do with the courts' existing sentence upon him.  Who can say, and on what basis ?

 

 

 

[Eric Loh]

2 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

Makes you wonder just how many stories from around the world have these little inaccuracies in their detail.

 

The local and world press owes you an apology for reporting the military takeover of a government as a coup. 

[Eric Loh]

2 hours ago, wprime said:

What actually happened was Ramkhamhaeng students blew whistles at the red shirts, the red shirts got angry, attacked them and the person shot dead was a Ramkhamhaeng student (though not proven to be the red shirts shooting either). 

Wiki put that down to the Ramkhamhaeng students started the violence by attacking a taxi driver and the red shirts retaliated. Seeing the escalation, the red shirts leaders called off the rally. The right thing to do.

[louse1953]

Lawyer for criminal on the run,should advise his client to zip it.

[chainarong]

50 minutes ago, Ricardo said:

 

Reuters ought to recheck their 'facts', I distinctly recall former-PM Thaksin returning to Thailand during 2008, when there was a court-case underway against him ?  

 

How could he have returned in 2008, during the government of the late PM-Samak & the Thaksin-supporting PPP, if he was "in exile" as claimed ? 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/aug/11/thailand

 

It might be more accurate to say, that he's lived in self-exile since 2008, when he left the country to attend the opening-ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.  The reason he subsequently failed to return may well have been to avoid further charges of corruption, as Reuters claim in the OP, or might have more to do with the courts' existing sentence upon him.  Who can say, and on what basis ?

 

 

 

He got permission from The Democrats Abhisit to leave on the condition he return, he was out on bail pending more charges , Prayut might never have been heard of if they refused Thaksin request

[rijb]

7 hours ago, AGareth2 said:

sorry old boy

don't you get it

If they can't get him they will get his money

How?  Does Thaksin keep his money in Bangkok Bank?  

[worgeordie]

It Was an honest mistake,guv.

regards worgeordie

[wprime]

1 hour ago, Eric Loh said:

Wiki put that down to the Ramkhamhaeng students started the violence by attacking a taxi driver and the red shirts retaliated. Seeing the escalation, the red shirts leaders called off the rally. The right thing to do.

I can't find that wiki article, can you link it? At the time the local media reported the violence started by Ramkhamhaeng students blowing whistles at the red shirts as they passed in their buses and the person killed was already identified as an anti-government protestor. 

[Ricardo]

35 minutes ago, chainarong said:

He got permission from The Democrats Abhisit to leave on the condition he return, he was out on bail pending more charges , Prayut might never have been heard of if they refused Thaksin request

But former-PM Abhisit & his Democrat-led coalition-government didn't come to power, until several months after Thaksin left, permission to leave was surely granted by the court, how could it have been given by the Opposition ?

 

My point remains, Reuters claim that Thaksin has lived in-exile since 2006, yet he was clearly back here in 2008, so Reuters are mistaken.

 

 

[mrfill]

In the words of Mandy Rice-Davis...

 

"He would say that, wouldn't he?"

[wprime]

This has greater consequences than Prayut seems to realise. What Thaksin did was unethical but legal, not to mention the statute of limitation makes it untouchable anyway. If Thailand seizes his money anyway they will damage the Kingdom in the eyes of international investors. This would affect everything from the Kingdom's ability to secure finance to the sale of foreign titled condos.

[steve williams]

My has the Singaporean authorities not  arrested Taksin surely as an ASEAN block the they would have judicial extradition laws with each member state strengthing the legal frame work of the block and of each nation. 

Edited March 23, 2017 by steve williams