Following the September 2006 coup assets valued at Bt76 billion were frozen by state agencies which tracked them to 100-plus bank accounts and
followed related investment trails leading to other assets claimed as personal by the deposed prime minister, his former spouse and children, and a wider network of more distant relations.

Nine justices are probing other possible abuse of policy, such as a US$127 million loan to the government of  Myanmar six years ago which he allegedly approved so that Myanmar’s State Peace and Development Council could use the funds to buy satellite communications services from Thaksin-family owned Shin Satellite.

Decisions by Thailand’s Supreme Court are final under the letter of the law, but under court procedures here defence attorneys may present new evidence relating to the case within 30 days.

Communicating via Twitter, the ex-premier reasserted that everything he and his family gained resulted from their own hard work, and intellectual focus. “We never cheated,”’ he insisted.

Did the former premier transfer his assets to family members to bypass the country’s laws against political office holders retaining shares in companies doing business with the government.  The court will announced its decision as to whether his government policies benefitted Thaksin-family businesses, as what has been called “policy corruption.”

Did state policy on telecommunications change the nature of the playing field when “liberalisation” made the way smoother for Thailand’s leading mobile phone service, a Thaksin family assets, to increase its market share and profitability

The nine decision-makers for the Thaksin day of judgement have arrived at the Supreme Court and are having a closed meeting on the ruling before reading the verdict in the afternoon–set tentatively at 1.30pm—as to whether or not the state will seize Mr Thaksin’s frozen assets, or confiscate only a part of his fortune, which was frozen after his ouster in a 2006 coup that was staged because of his alleged corruption and abuse of power.

Four companies of police, about 600 in total, have been deployed for security at the Supreme Court including two bomb squads, 100 anti-riot police and a 33-strong rapid deployment force.

Security has been stepped up at the court with three checkpoints set up, three of four traffic lanes were closed in the area with only one lane open, and some vehicles were stopped and inspected.

Two bomb scanners were installed at the court entrance for screening those wanting to hear the verdict being read.

Only one entrance is available for the public. Iron barricades circle the court, and closed circuit television cameras are monitoring the area.

The public began to arrive at the court as troops of domestic and international media descended on the area to cover the historic case.

Thaksin legal advisor Noppadol Pattama earlier said his client had closely followed the news and would hear the verdict in Dubai.

Afterward, the ex-premier will speak on his online radio programme “Talk Around the World” at 8.30pm and is expected to issue a statement Saturday.

Over 35,000 police and soldiers are deployed for security in the capital and the provinces for fear that the verdict may lead to violent reactions from pro- and anti-Thaksin groups.

Checkpoints have been set up and more surveillance cameras were installed to monitor the situation, but the anti-government movement United Front
for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), said the Red Shirt protesters who strongly support Mr Thaksin will not rally at the Supreme Court.

Jatuporn Prompan, a UDD key leader, said the group would bring one million supporters to the streets from March 12 to join a mass protest to oust the
Abhisit Vejjajiva government on the morning of March 14, with up to 100,000 pickup trucks transporting their members countrywide to the capital.

Mr Thaksin was ousted in a 2006 military coup and his assets were frozen in 2007 following months of his opponents’ protests over his family’s sale of 48 per cent of his Shin Corp telecoms giant to Singapore’s Temasek group for US$2.2 billion without paying any taxes in Thailand.

Living overseas in self-imposed exile, Mr Thaksin was sentenced to two years in absentia on conflict of interest charges relating the purchase of a plot of land by his former wife at a far below market price while he was prime minister.

Mr Thaksin’s supporters include the rural poor, who hail him for his populist policies such as inexpensive healthcare schemes.

The tycoon-turned-politician established his own Thai Rak Thai Party in 1998 and was elected prime minister in 2001.

After completing a four-year term, he was re-elected in 2005 to form a single party government.

His supporters vowed to continue their campaigns with series of protesters to bring him home.

Living in exile mostly in Dubai, he has made phone-in and video links to his supporters during their major gatherings and posts messages on the
social network website Twitter.

A diplomat tiff developed between Thailand and Cambodia when the Cambodian government appointed Mr Thaksin as an economic adviser and Phnom Penh refused a request from Bangkok to extradite him. (TNA)