Thailand airport authorities leap to defence of Leicester City's owners King Power
Thursday 20 July 2017 16:59, UK
Leicester City's owners have been backed by Thailand airport authorities as they face a corruption claim in their homeland.
The Thai Airport Authority, which is majority state-owned, says King Power has done nothing illegal, in the way it handles its duty free shops.
King Power was awarded its airport monopoly in 2006 under former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
A Thai anti-corruption official said last week he was filing four separate lawsuits against King Power, for what he said was the company's failure to pay just under £400m due to the Thai Government.
But on Wednesay, the president of the Airports of Thailand (AoT) dismissed the legal claims against King Power as groundless.
Dr Nitinai Sirismatthakarn, president of AoTm said: "The claims do not relate to the airport duty free shop concessions, granted to King Power's affiliate, at all.
"The allegations that AoT and King Power have colluded to reduce concession-free percentage in respect of pick-up counters from 15 per cent to three per cent, which caused billions of Baht (Thai currency) of damages to the State, are absolutely untrue."
A court decision on whether there is any legal case to answer is expected next week.
