The Guardian:
Prosecutors from Thailand arrived in London yesterday to find ways of extraditing ousted billionaire prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the new owner of Manchester City football club, on corruption charges.
The visit to see British officials is the latest move in a campaign by the military junta that deposed Mr Thaksin in September last year in a bloodless coup while he was in New York at the UN general assembly.
He has since lived in exile in London, with a £4.5m mansion in Weybridge, Surrey, and a rented flat in Park Lane owned by his friend and Fulham FC owner Mohamed Al Fayed. In June he bought Manchester City for £81.6m and installed two of his three children on the board.
Warrants for the arrest of Mr Thaksin, 58, and his wife, Potjaman, have been issued in Thailand in the past few weeks and £1.3bn of family assets in the country have been frozen. In a related development this week, the Thai anti-corruption body said it would file criminal charges against Mr Thaksin's 25-year-old daughter Pinthongta - a Manchester City director and a student at the London School of Economics - over her refusal to answer questions about the family's share dealings at an anti-corruption committee hearing in Bangkok. She handed over a letter saying it would be unacceptable to give evidence which could bring about negative consequences for her parents.
Mr Thaksin has repeatedly denied the charges, claiming they are politically motivated. A spokesman from his representatives at Bell Pottinger said he was aware of the officials' visit but had no further comment.
If convicted of dishonesty Mr Thaksin will have to relinquish control of City under the Premier League's "fit and proper person test" - a move which would sorely disappoint City fans, who have made it clear they are more interested in his wealth than his reputation. With Sven-Goran Eriksson as manager and the team riding high in the league, few are concerned about Human Rights Watch describing him as "a human rights abuser of the worst kind".
From Red Issue's August edition:
So, Doctor Death's lawyer Mr Pattama confirmed a few weeks ago now: "He would consider going back [for trial] after the next Thailand election and with the return of full democracy."
Presumably hoping that would be never, of course: Death certainly had his people campaigning strongly against the very nature of the referendum the junta held there last week. But it went well, and now we read: "The most appropriate date for the general election is December 23, Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said." Oh dear, oh dear.
Not the kind of transfer the Blue Moonies had in mind for the next window ? Dr D from exec box to witness box to jail.... moreover, the UK Govt will be unlikely to resist any extradition request from a newly democratic Thai govt. And we have a healthy extradition relationship with Bangkok stretching back to 1911.
Top of the table in September, bottom of the shower stalls by March?.