Ex-Prime Minister gets a divorce

Ex-Prime Minister gets a divorce

Thaksin Shinawatra, the ousted Prime Minister of Thailand, received an official divorce from his wife, Pojaman, in Hong Kong. The move was reportedly in an effort to save family assets amidst the growing legal case against the former Prime Minister and his wife. The ex-prime minister was recently denied a return to England, where the family was living in exile after being sentenced to jail in Thailand.

Sources close to the family say that the divorce, made official at the Royal Thai Embassy in Hong Kong, was part of a strategy to help the family survive the upcoming trail on further corruption charges in the ex-prime ministers home country. A separation could help the family hold on to some of their assets.

Many of the assets have been kept on Pojaman’s name. With the official divorce, it is likely that the family will be able to keep some assets, even if Thaksin accrues further charges of corruption in a trial set for next month. It is still unknown if there is any political motivation behind the divorce.

"Thaksin and his wife remain very close, and they have grown even closer since their problems began in Thailand," one source said.