By IANS
London : Former Thailand prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has lodged a 81.6 million pound formal takeover bid for English Premiership club Manchester City, BBC reported on its website Thursday.
The City board said it intended to back the bid from UK Sports Investments, a company controlled by Thaksin and his children.
But Thaksin will have to pass the Premier League's standard "fit and proper person" test before being able to complete the proposed takeover.
Thai prosecutors have recently filed corruption charges against Thaksin, whose wife Potjaman has also been named in the case involving allegations of wrongdoing in a land deal.
Thaksin's son and daughter, Panthongtae and Pintongta Shinawatra, are also major players in UK Sports Investments.
The former Thai leader lives mainly in London since he was overthrown in a bloodless military coup last September.
The Thai Supreme Court has said it would decide on July 10 if it would hear the case.
Manchester City is the latest English football team to attract interest from foreign investors.
If the takeover goes ahead it would mean an addition to the number of Premiership clubs in foreign ownership, with City joining Aston Villa, Chelsea, Fulham, Liverpool, Manchester United, Portsmouth and West Ham.
Newly promoted Sunderland is also owned by an Irish consortium.