Saxena's first case to hit courts this week

Seksan Bangsomboon, a special prosecutor for economic and natural resource cases, said the City Trading case against Saxena, who has been accused of embezzling Bt1.6 billion from the now-defunct BBC, could be filed as early as Friday.

Over the past week, the prosecutors' team had arranged for some documents in English to be officially translated into Thai so the case could proceed as quickly as possible.

"If all the official translation is ready, we can file the first City Trading case by November 11 [after which Saxena's policy custody would need to be further extended]", another prosecutor Somporn Yamnil said.

Seksan, who is leading the prosecution team, said a few minor points were to be corrected before the case could go to court.

First, that Saxena be charged under Section 315, not Section 314, of the Stock Exchange of Thailand Act.

Second, since Saxena needs interpreters their backgrounds need to be checked prior to the court hearings.

Third, prosecutors will have to prepare updated documents on the legal status of BBC.

Fourth, all legal extradition documentation from Canada will have to be translated into Thai.

In fact, Thai authorities have prepared the original City Trading case in which Saxena, former BBC president Kirkkiat Chalichan and others were charged with embezzling BBC funds more than 13 years ago.

However, Saxena managed to flee the sentencing until he was arrested in Canada and extradited to Thailand on October 30.

Of the 29 BBC cases, Saxena is alleged to have been involved in 20, including the first City Trading case, according to Pol Maj-General Panya Ma-men, the chief investigator.

Earlier, former BBC president Krirk-Kiat faced a combined jail term of more than 100 years in several of these cases, which led to the collapse of BBC shortly before the 1997 Asian financial crisis.