Bangkok, June 12:

Thailand’s deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra may try to return to the kingdom to fight to regain some 1.5 billion dollars in frozen assets, his lawyer said today.

The Assets Examination Committee, a powerful anti-corruption team set up by the military, ordered Thai banks to freeze accounts believed to hold at least 52.9 billion bhat (1.52 billion dollars) belonging to Thaksin’s family.

The former PM may return to battle for his money, his lawyer Noppadon Pattama said.

The assets freeze came less than two weeks after a military-appointed court disbanded Thaksin’s Thai Rak Thai party and barred the billionaire and 110 other party executives from running for political office for five years.

But Thaksin would consider taking an informal political role, providing financial support to candidates, giving speeches, and offering advice, the lawyer said.

The committee gave Thaksin 60 days to dispute the ruling.