[JURIST] The accumulated evidence against former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra [BBC profile] may be insufficient to compel the United Kingdom to extradite the ousted prime minister on corruption charges, according to Chief Prosecutor for Foreign Litigation Sampan Sarathana as reported in the Bangkok Post Tuesday. Saranthana travelled to London [JURIST report] earlier this month to discuss what evidence would be necessary under the bi-lateral extradition treaty between Thailand and the United Kingdom to convince UK courts to extradite Thaksin and his wife Pojamarn. After meeting with the British authorities, Sampan said he was unsure a petition to extradite Thaksin would succeed.

Thailand's Assets Examination Committee [Wikipedia backgrounder] has said previously that it intends to proceed with civil litigation against Thaksin in absentia in the case of a failed extradition bid. Thaksin and his wife have been accused of corruption [JURIST report], conflict of interest violations, and dereliction of duty for personal gain in charges stemming from a 2003 land purchase by Pojamarn from the government-directed Financial Institutions Development Fund [official website]. Thaksin was ousted in a military coup [JURIST report] last September while travelling abroad. The Bangkok Post has more.