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| Thai ex-PM guilty of corruption | Thai ex-PM guilty of corruption |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Exiled Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been found guilty of corruption and sentenced to two years in prison by the Thai Supreme Court. | Exiled Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been found guilty of corruption and sentenced to two years in prison by the Thai Supreme Court. |
| In a landmark ruling, he was found to have violated conflict of interest rules in helping his wife buy land from a state agency at a knock-down price. | |
| The couple fled to the UK in August, saying they would not get a fair trial. | The couple fled to the UK in August, saying they would not get a fair trial. |
| The decision comes amid growing tension between the former leader's supporters and his opponents. | The decision comes amid growing tension between the former leader's supporters and his opponents. |
| The ruling is the first in a string of stalled and slow-moving cases against Mr Thaksin, former owner and now honorary chairman of Manchester City football club, launched in the wake of the 2006 military coup. | |
| The coup leaders claimed there had been massive corruption and abuse of power under Mr Thaksin's rule, and set up a special unit to investigate the business dealings of the former leader and his close associates. | The coup leaders claimed there had been massive corruption and abuse of power under Mr Thaksin's rule, and set up a special unit to investigate the business dealings of the former leader and his close associates. |
| His wife has already been convicted of tax evasion and sentenced to three years in jail but was acquitted by the Supreme Court in the current case. | |
| Political tensions | |
| The nine-member court ruled by five to four that Mr Thaksin had violated the constitution in involving himself in the land deal. | |
| "Thaksin had violated the article of the constitution on conflict of interest, as he was then prime minister and head of government who was supposed to work for the benefit of the public," one judge said as he read the verdict. | |
| He was cleared of charges of abusing his powers in the 2003 land purchase, AFP news agency said. | |
| Mr Thaksin said he had expected the Supreme Court to sentence him to jail and that he was not seeking asylum in the UK, Reuters news agency reported. | |
| For weeks protesters have demanded the resignation of the government, saying it is too close to Mr Thaksin. | For weeks protesters have demanded the resignation of the government, saying it is too close to Mr Thaksin. |
| The administration of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat - who is Mr Thaksin's brother-in-law - has been virtually paralysed by the protests. | The administration of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat - who is Mr Thaksin's brother-in-law - has been virtually paralysed by the protests. |
| And correspondents say the verdict is unlikely to pacify the thousands of protesters who have been camped outside the prime minister's office for the past two months. | And correspondents say the verdict is unlikely to pacify the thousands of protesters who have been camped outside the prime minister's office for the past two months. |