‘End money-laundering probe’:

The only son of fugitive former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Tuesday asked for a money-laundering investigation against him to be dropped, saying it was politically motivated.

Panthongtae Shinawatra is accused of receiving a 10 million baht ($299,000) cheque in 2004 allegedly related to an earlier corruption case involving 9.9 billion baht ($296.14 million) of fraudulent loans extended by the stateowned Krungthai Bank when his father was prime minister.

Supporters of the Shinawatras say the legal action is the latest step by authorities in junta-ruled Thailand to squeeze the Shinawatras out of political life and blunt the family’s influence.

“There are over 300 financial transactions involving many people and organisations relating to this case that the authority did not investigate,” Panthongtae said on Facebook in September. “Instead they focus on a son of a former prime minister because it has already been predetermined that he is guilty.”

In a statement delivered by his lawyer on Tuesday, Panthongtae said again there were no grounds for action.

“Panthongtae has been unfairly targeted,” lawyer Chumsai Sriyapai told Reuters.

The deputy spokesperson for the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), Woranan Srilum, said that the case would continue and he had no comment on the accusation that it was politically motivated. (RTRS)

Thaksin