William L. Monson
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
businessman and the current President of Seattle-based Clearview International and Clearview Wireless and manager of Hawaii-based CTVC. In the 1980s, Monson was involved in the establishment of Video Link, a Thai
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
cable television joint-venture between Clearview and Thaksin Shinawatra's Shinawatra Computer and Communications (today known as Shin Corporation) and International Broadcasting Company (IBC, today known as United Broadcasting Corporation). He engaged in a series of controversial court cases against Thaksin, who by that time had become Prime Minister of Thailand
Prime Minister of Thailand
The Prime Minister of Thailand is the head of government of Thailand. The Prime Minister is also the chairman of the Cabinet of Thailand. The post has existed since the Revolution of 1932, when the country became a constitutional monarchy....
, during the height of the 2005-2006 Thailand political crisis.
In 1989, he was accused of embezzling broadcasting equipment from the joint-venture. A court later acquitted him of the charges.
In 1995, he and four other plaintiffs filed breach of contract
Breach of contract
Breach of contract is a legal cause of action in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other party's performance....
charges against Thaksin and 16 other defendants, the plaintiffs demanding 4.13 billion baht in compensation. In 2002, a court threw out the breach of contract charges after finding that the contract between Monson and Thaksin had never taken effect. The court ruled that the contract between Monson and CTVC of Hawaii (USA), on one side, and Thaksin, his wife, and Shinawatra Computer, on the other side, to set up Video Link Co Ltd was void from the beginning; Monson's resignation from Video Link's board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
voided the contract. The court ordered Monson and the plaintiffs to pay nearly 2 million baht in lawyers' fees for the defendants.
Monson also filed a lawsuit claiming that Thaksin lied to a civil court
Perjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
during a trial on 22 July 1996 and demanded 6 billion baht in compensation. In September 2006, the court ruled that Monson had failed to bring Thaksin to court within the statute of limitations
Statute of limitations
A statute of limitations is an enactment in a common law legal system that sets the maximum time after an event that legal proceedings based on that event may be initiated...
after filing the lawsuit. Monson defended his case by noting that "We never got to argue or look at the facts of the case. We lost this round based on a legal technicality." A second charge of perjury against Thaksin was also dismissed. Both cases are on appeal. Monson has won a civil case over ownership of equipment in two lower courts and are awaiting a Supreme Court decision following resolution of the criminal charges against Thaksin et al.
In addition Monson has filed a complaint with the Special Investigator looking into contracts involving MCOT and IBC.
In February 2007, Thaksin's wife requested that the Bank of Thailand
Bank of Thailand
- History :The Bank of Thailand was first set up as the Thai National Banking Bureau. The Bank of Thailand Act was promulgated on 28 April 1942 vesting upon the Bank of Thailand the responsibility for all central banking functions...
allow her to transfer 400 million baht to the United Kingdom so that she could purchase a house. The central bank originally had no objection to the transfer, until Monson sent a latter to the central bank Governor. He claimed that the money transfer would jeopardise his legal cases against Thaksin, and threatened to hold the bank responsible for any damages he might incur. The Bank of Thailand then agreed to not permit the transfer.
Monson was married to a Thai woman and has two children.
Press Release
Bangkok - October 30, 2008….11:15 AM
Thaksin’s Associates Face Criminal Complaint
A complaint was filed today with the Thai Supreme Court by Nataporn Toeprayoon, attorney for William L. Monson, a former business partner of Thaksin Shinawatra. The Supreme Court convicted Thaksin of corruption charges last week.
Named in the Complaint are Chalerm Yubumrang, the Mass Communications Organization of Thailand (MCOT), its Board Members, International Broadcasting Corporation (IBC), now TrueVision, and others. The charges stem from a Cable TV contract granted illegally by MCOT to IBC in 1989. The concession became the base for Thaksin’s telecommunications empire.
Monson has fought a long legal battle with Thaksin and his companies in both Thai and US courts. Monson’s company Clearview International Ltd., pioneered telecommunications in Asia in the 1980’s. Starting in 1982 Clearview worked with MCOT to develop the framework to introduce the technology.
In late 1985, when Thaksin was still a policeman, a joint venture between Monson’s companies and Thaksin’s (Shinawatra Computer and IBC) became the first Wireless Cable TV system to go on air in Asia. A government delay caused the partnership to be terminated with Thaksin’s companies selling their interest to Monson’s companies. Thaksin was paid to help clear the government blocks while Monson operated a company delivering CNN to Hotels in Bangkok.
In mid 1988 Chalerm, Thaksin’s friend and fellow policeman became the Minister overseeing MCOT and its Chairman of the Board. Later, Thaksin informed Monson that he was going to operate the Cable TV concession himself. When Monson asked about the contracts and payments from Clearview to Thaksin for the business, Thaksin’s response was “This is Thailand”.
After Chalerm became the Minister overseeing MCOT he reversed MCOT approval of Clearview for the contract corrupting the process of granting the concession for Clearview’s benefit. Police confiscated Monson’s equipment and filed Criminal Charges against him and his staff. After 7 years the Supreme Court cleared them of all these charges. During this period it was extremely difficult for Monson to travel to and do business in Thailand. Civil courts have ruled that Monson’s company owned the equipment. Thaksin’s IBC received the concession using Monson’s equipment and without bidding. When IBC went public the value of the company in the stock market was 760,000,000 USD giving Thaksin the base for his future telecom empire.
Monson claims losses of 4.5 billion US dollars.
On December 1, 2008 the court accepted the case and appointed the Counter Corruption Commission to investigate.
Press Release
Bangkok – June 17th, 2009
Thai Supreme Court Rejects Shinawatra Appeal
The Thai Supreme Court issued a ruling today in a long running dispute between William Monson and Thaksin Shinawatra, et. al. Lower Courts had ruled that Monson’s company owned telecom equipment required to obtain a license granted by the Mass Communications Organization of Thailand (MCOT) in 1989. The Supreme Court rejected Shinawatra’s appeal.
Ownership of the equipment is at the heart of Criminal Charges filed (October 2008) with another division of the Supreme Court handling corrupt public officials.
Shinawatra had always claimed that Monson had stolen the equipment and testified in a number of legal suits to that fact. Because of long legal delays, Thaksin was able to avoid perjury charges based on a statute of limitation legal defense, even though Thai Courts have ruled in Monson’s favor over the ownership issues.
The Supreme Court division handling corrupt government officials has accepted the Criminal case filed October 20th 2008 and sent it to the Counter Corruption Commission for investigation. A report from the Counter Corruption Commission to the Prosecuting Attorney is expected soon so that the case can be presented to the Supreme Court for action.
Update: The Counter Corruption Commission denied Monson's case on grounds of statute of limitation and lack of evidence. Monson filed an appeal with the Constitutional Supreme Court citing the case decided by the Criminal Supreme Court, in his favor, as evidence and the Constitution stating a 25 year statute of limitations. The appeal to the Court was denied based on "no appeals accepted".
Monson has filed both Criminal and Civil suits based on the Criminal Court's decision.