The Supreme Court for politicians has sentenced Thaksin Shinawatra in absentia to three years in prison for having conflict of interest in the Exim Bank loan case.
The case involves the lending of 4 billion baht to the Myanmar government in 2004.
The court ruled that Thaksin had conflict of interest when he ordered the Exim Bank to lend 4 billion baht at a below-cost interest rate to the Myanmar government so it could buy products from Shin Satellite Plc, a company owned by his family.
The court ruled him guilty of violating Section 152 and sentenced him to three years in prison. The offence is punishable by a jail term from 1-10 years and a fine from 20000 baht to 200,000 baht.
The charge was filed in 2008 by the Asset Scrutiny Committee (ASC), a panel set up after the 2006 military coup to build cases against the Thaksin Shinawatra government.
The ASC claimed the Myanmar government later used the money to buy 400 million baht worth of products sold by Shin Satellite.
The Attorney General's Office did not accept the case and the National Anti-Corruption Commission later agreed to take overthe case from the committee.
