By Xinhua,
Bangkok : The head of personal lawyer team of Thailand’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Thursday denied any involvement in the 2 million baht (about 62,500 U.S. dollars) cash left in a snack box for a Supreme Court judge in an attempt seen as bribing the judge.
Pichit Chuenban, the head of personal legal experts team of Thaksin, who was ousted during a military coup in 2006 and now is facing several legal cases in court, insisted that the team know nothing about the suspected bribe case, nor do they try to change the judges deciding on cases concerning Thaksin and his family, the local newspaper Bangkok Post reported on its website.
“Our lawyer team is not involved in the attempt to change a panel of judges. We feel that the Supreme Court has been given us justice,” Pichit said.
A snack box left for a Supreme Court judge presiding over a high-profile case was found to contain 2 million baht when court staff opened it on Wednesday.
Sarawut Benchakul, deputy secretary-general of the Office of the Judiciary, said a lawyer handling a high-profile case involving a politician left the box with a court official when he arrived to file a motion at the Supreme Court building.
Following security regulations, court staff opened the box and found 2 million baht in cash stuffed inside.
They then alerted the judge. He phoned the lawyer, who came to pick up the box before the matter reached Supreme Court President Wirat Limwichai’s ears.
Wirat then ordered an immediate investigation into the matter and set up a panel comprising three other judges.
He said the inquiry panel would find out who left the box, for whom, and why the box was quickly returned and not kept as evidence.
He said the findings would serve as the basis for further action.