Leicester City owners face prospect of being sued for £323m in Thailand
The court in Bangkok will make a final decision on whether to take the case in February next year
Leicester City’s owners are reportedly facing the possibility of being sued for £323m over money allegedly owed to the Thai government.
The case against King Power, which is owned by Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and his family, was initially opened by a criminal court in Bangkok on Monday. It said it would examine the allegations to determine whether there was a case to answer and would review the list of potential evidence and witnesses in February ahead of preliminary hearings
King Power was founded in 1989 awarded its Thai duty-free monopoly in 2006.
The lawsuit, brought by a private individual who was formerly a government official, alleges that King Power failed to pay the government 14 billion baht (£323m) from the operation of a duty-free franchise it was awarded in 2006.
The action against Srivaddhanaprabha – who is worth around $4.9bn – and his family was initially filed in July and at the hearing on Monday the Central Criminal Court confirmed that a list of potential witnesses will now be considered in February next year.
The case is also being brought against executives of state-owned Airports of Thailand, Reuters reports.
Srivaddhanaprabha bought Leicester City in 2010 and has overseen promotion from League 1 to the Champions League as well as winning the Premier League in 2016.
Update. This story has been updated to make clear that the Thai courts have yet to make a decision on whether formally to accept the case against King Power; and to clarify that the lawsuit has not been lodged by the Thai government but by an individual who was formerly a government official. 17/11/17
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