Bangkok - Thailand's Supreme Court on Wednesday found three of 46 defendants guilty of malfeasance for changing the state lottery system six years ago under former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The Supreme Court for Political Office Holders found Wallathet Rattanakorn, a former deputy finance minister; former Finance Ministry permanent secretary Somchainuk Engtrakul; and former State Lottery Bureau director Major General Surasit Sangkhapong guilty of illegally changing the lottery system and improperly channeling money from new two-digit and three-digit lotteries to state agencies.

The three men were sentenced to two years in jail, commuted to two years of probation.

The court acquitted the 43 other defendants, including Newin Chidchob, a powerbroker behind the establishment of the current coalition government.

Had Newin been found guilty, the government's stability would have been threatened, political observers said.

The court also refrained from passing judgement on Thaksin, who was not present at the court session. Thaksin, who was prime minister from 2001 to 2006, has been living in self-imposed exile since August 2007 to avoid a two-year jail sentence in Thailand on an abuse-of-power conviction.

When Thaksin was prime minister, his government changed the state lottery system, allegedly to bring the underground lottery, which takes bets on two-digit and three-digit numbers, into the state system. The state lottery is based on a six-digit system.

Critics of Thaksin's rule claimed the lottery change was improperly carried out and was done for corrupt purposes.

The two-digit and three-digit lottery was discontinued after the September 2006 coup that ousted Thaksin. (dpa)