Potjaman appeals

The former wife of deposed prime minister Thaksin, has filed an appeal in a tax evasion case in which she was sentenced to three years in jail.

The lawyer for Khunying Potjaman Shinawatra revealed on Friday that the Criminal Court will forward his clients' appeal against the court's conviction to the Appeals Court.

Weerapat Srichaiya, the lawyer who represents Khunying Potjaman and two other accused, said the Criminal Court told him on Thursday that it had received all documents from a lawyer of the accused and the public prosecutor required for the appeal process.

For the next step, the Criminal Court would forward the case to the Appeals Court, he said.

On July 31, the Criminal Court found Khunying Potjaman, her step-brother Bannapot Damapong and her secretary Karnchanapa Honghern guilty of conspiring to evade tax in the transfer of 4.5 million shares in Shinawatra Computer and Communications, now Shin Corp, worth 738 million baht.

The court ruled that the transaction did not really take place in the stock market and was faked to avoid tax.

The court found Khunying Potjaman and Bannapot had deliberately avoided paying 546 million baht in tax for the shares transfer.

Both were sentenced to two years in jail for conspiracy to evade tax and one additional year for giving false statements to state agencies with the intent of evading tax. Mrs Karnchanapa was also found guilty of colluding in tax evasion and given a two-year jail sentence.

The three had been released on bail of eight million baht each.

Mr Weerapat said his three clients are arguing against the Criminal Court's verdict on more than 10 points.

In the 130-page appeal, the three accused maintain that they had done nothing wrong as alleged by the prosecutor. They are asking the Appeals Court to reverse the Criminal Court's verdict, said Mr Weerapat. (Bangkok Post)

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By Bangkok Post Agencies