Thai ex-leader Thaksin pleads not guilty, given bail

STORY: In one of four high-profile court cases involving key political players in Thailand on Tuesday (June 18), the country's influential former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was granted bail, after being formally indicted in the morning for allegedly insulting the monarchy.

According to his lawyer, Thaksin appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to charges of computer crimes and making royal insults.

The complaint against him was lodged by the royalist military, stemming from an interview he gave to foreign media in 2015.

On Tuesday, Thaksin, a powerful backer of the largest party in Thailand's governing coalition Pheu Thai, had to surrender his passport as part of his bail condition.

Outside the courthouse, his lawyer told reporters Thaksin is confident he'll prove his innocence, arguing that the prosecution doesn't have enough evidence.

"The case is lacking on various aspects, which we have tried to point out to prosecutors to consider, however, they have decided to overlook those missing parts and move forward with prosecuting us. Well, we're here to fight the case."

In two other cases involving the opposition Move Forward party and the incumbent prime minister Srettha Thavisin, the Constitutional Court set next hearing dates for July.

A political novice who took office last year, Srettha faces potential dismissal over a cabinet appointment.

While the Move Forward party, which won in last year's closely fought election but failed to form a government, could be dissolved for its campaign to amend the royal insult law, or lese-majeste.

Srettha and Move Forward also deny any wrongdoing.

The fourth case involves an ongoing selection process for a new upper house of parliament, which started earlier this month.

The Constitutional Court ruled on Tuesday that it is lawful, clearing the deck for 200 new lawmakers to take over from a military-appointed senate later this year.

The four cases have put Thai politics and markets on edge.

They risk deepening a decades-old rift between the conservative-royalist establishment and its opponents, such as the populist ruling Pheu Thai party and the Move Forward party.

And could plunge Southeast Asia's second-largest economy into a new period of uncertainty.