Pojaman Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra's family has received several convictions since he was ousted in 2006, notably the one for corruption that has seen the former Thai premier remain in exile. But the tycoon's ex-wife Pojaman Shinawatra last week was acquitted in an appeal against her three-year prison sentence for tax evasion. Pojaman was convicted in July 2008 of colluding to evade tax worth 546 million baht in a 1997 transfer of shares in Shinawatra Computer and Communication, which became Shin Corp. The court said there was insufficient evidence.
Lam Fung-hoi
Widow Lam Fung-hoi was spared jail in Hong Kong, despite being convicted of cheating on her welfare payments after she won sympathy in court. Two years after her arrest in June 2009, Lam received an 18-month prison term suspended for three years and the judge slammed the Social Welfare Department for halting payments before she was proven guilty. Lam, 48, had been accused of dishonestly obtaining Comprehensive Social Security Assistance worth HK$300,000 in spite of holding HK$810,000 for her mother-in-law. After an investigation began, all benefits to her family, including disability allowances for her mentally disabled husband, were suspended.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn
Three months after the arrest of the then IMF managing director for the attempted rape of a New York hotel maid, a judge ordered all criminal charges dismissed. Prosecutors said they could not prove the case beyond reasonable doubt because of serious credibility issues with hotel housekeeper Nafissatou Diallo, 33, who accused Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexually assaulting her as she entered his suite to clean.
