A Thai court today decided to suspend a corruption case against ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife.
The nine-judge Supreme Court for Political Appointees panel said the case against the couple, who have lived in exile in London since last year's bloodless coup, would restart only when prosecutors brought them to court.
Arrest warrants for the pair were issued in August.
"The court decided to suspend the case and the trial will resume when the two defendants are found," chief judge Thonglor Chomngam said.
Public prosecutors said they were planning to visit Britain in October to talk to officials there about the possibility of extraditing Mr Thaksin to face the charges.
Mr Thaksin, new owner of English Premier League football club Manchester City, and wife Potjaman face charges summarised as "misconduct of a government official and violation of a ban on state officials being party to transactions involving public interests".
The charges stem from a ruling by an Asset Examination Committee set up after the coup in September 2006 that Mr Thaksin and his wife had broken anti-graft laws preventing politicians in office doing business deals with state agencies.
If convicted, Mr Thaksin could face up to 10 years in jail. The telecommunications billionaire says he has no intention of returning because he will not get a fair trial with a military-appointed government in charge.