Chief prosecutor Seksan Bangsomboon taped the summons and a copy of the charges on the door of Thaksin's mansion after no one answered the doorbell.

'We are here to deliver the summons as part of the court procedure,' Mr Seksan told reporters.

He then drove 10 minutes to an unoccupied three-storey building, the official address of Thaksin's wife Pojaman, to repeat the process.

They are each charged with two violations of anti-corruption laws.

Thaksin is accused of illegally influencing a deal to allow Pojaman to buy land from a government agency at a bargain price in 2003.

She had bought it for 772 million baht (S$38 million) from a unit of the Bank of Thailand in an auction in which other bidders had dropped out.

The court has not said what it will do if the couple do not turn up to answer the corruption charges, but it would be normal in Thailand for them to be given more time to appear.

Thaksin might return to Thailand on Aug 14 to defend the graft charge over the Ratchadapisek land deal, a spokesman for his legal team said on Wednesday.

Mr Prakiat Nasimma said the former prime minister would make a one-day trip to Thailand and rush back to Britain as he was afraid of being arrested.

REUTERS, THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK