[JURIST] Thailand's National Counter-Corruption Commission (NCCC) [official website] has approved the creation of three subcommittees to investigate former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] and two of his former senior administration officials, according to an NCCC spokesperson Thursday. The first subcommittee will probe Thaksin's involvement in the bidding for security services at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport while serving on the airport's executive board. The other two subcommittees will investigate allegations against former Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit and former Highway Department chief Srisuk Chanthrangsu in connection with duty-free airport shops and road construction, respectively. Xinhua has more. The Bangkok Post has local coverage.

Thaksin was ousted in a bloodless military coup [JURIST report] in September 2006 while travelling abroad. He and his wife Pojamarn have also 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 has refused to return to Thailand to face charges because he says he does not expect to receive a fair trial [JURIST report].