Bangkok  - Thailand's Supreme Court barred ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra from leaving the kingdom for China and England at the end of last month, media reports said Thursday.

Thaksin, who has been charged with abuse of power for allowing his wife to purchase a plot of Bangkok land at a government auction in 2003, asked court permission to travel to China and England on June 27, but judges ruled he had not provided sufficient reason for the trips, said the Bangkok Post online news service.

Last month, the Supreme Court sentenced three of Thaksin's lawyers working on the land purchase case to six months in jail for contempt of court for handing over a "snack box" filled with 2 million baht (59,700 dollars) to court officials in what appeared to be a blatant bribery attempt.

The same court on Thursday charged the three imprisoned lawyers with bribery, opening a police investigation into who was behind the cash-filled snack box.

Thaksin, a billionaire businessman who was prime minster from 2001 to 2006 before being toppled by a military coup, returned to Thailand from self-exile in February, this year.

Ousted by the military on charges of corruption and dividing the nation, Thaksin is thus far on trial only for the Ratchadaphiset land scandal, in which his wife paid 772 million baht (23 million dollars) for a plot of land in Bangkok at a public auction.

Other corruption cases are pending.

The Ratchadaphiset land purchase, witnessed by Thaksin, was deemed "abuse of power" as Thaksin was prime minister at the time his wife purchased the land at a favourable price.

Thaksin has travelled abroad extensively since returning to Thailand in February. While living in London during his year in self-exile he purchased the Manchester City football club.

In the past, Thaksin has often cited the need to look after his football team as the reason for leaving the country. (dpa)