Former Premier League champions Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha to face £322m Thai court battle

The Thai owner of 2016 Premier League champions Leicester City is to face a £322m criminal lawsuit, it was announced overnight.

A case against King Power founder Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha has been accepted by the Thai Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct, with proceedings set to start in February.

Authorities allege duty free firm King Power owes the Thai government 14bn baht (£322m) from the operation of airport franchises it was granted in 2006.

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The lawsuit was also brought against executives from the state-owned airport operator, Airports of Thailand.

While King Power was founded in 1989, the business took off after being awarded an exclusive duty free contract across all Thai airports by the then Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Srivaddhanaprabha bought Leicester City in August 2010 and the team capped a remarkable turnaround in 2016 by winning English football’s top competition.

King Power and AOT were not immediately available to comment following a request by news agency Reuters.

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