Lawyer claims Thaksin still has funds for takeover

Despite no access to his Thai finances, Thaksin Shinawatra can still fund a takeover of English Manchester City, his lawyer said.

The former Thai prime minister had his assets frozen, locking him out of GBP 830 million. He was ousted in a bloodless coup last year, and his rule was marked by accusations of human-rights abuse from certain groups.

Lawyer Noppadon Pattama said Thaksin had set aside GBP 107 million before the freeze to fund the takeover of the Premier League club. He said the Thai government had not frozen the assets of Thaksin's children.

Noppadon felt the takeover would be resolved within 72 hours.

"We have money to buy Manchester City, and the signs from the club in the latest negotiations are good," Noppadon said. "We had already informed the AEC about these bank accounts before they ordered the freeze."

But the lawyer hedged his bets. "We may need to use some of the money that has been frozen. If we can't buy Manchester City, the AEC will be to blame."

Source: euFootball.BIZ © Copyright 2006 - All rights reserved.