BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Thailand’s ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra returned to exile in London, jumping bail and saying he could not expect a fair trial in his homeland on the corruption charges he faces.

The country’s Supreme Court issued arrest warrants for Thaksin and his wife Monday, and Thai prosecutors said they were discussing the possibility of asking for Thaksin’s extradition - usually a lengthy and complicated process.

Thaksin and his wife, Pojaman, failed to return to Thailand after traveling to China for the Olympics opening ceremony.

He had come home to Thailand less than six months ago after an extended period of exile after the 2006 military coup, much of it spent at his London residence and traveling around Europe and Asia making business deals, most notably the purchase of the Britain’s Manchester City soccer club.

"I thought I would be able to prove my innocence and receive justice, which is why I returned to Thailand on Feb. 28. But the situation has deteriorated," Thaksin said in a three-page handwritten statement that was read on state-run television and faxed to media outlets.

Thaksin, 59, faces a slew of court cases and investigations into alleged corruption and abuse of power during his five years in office. In his statement, he insisted he was innocent of all the accusations.

A British Home Office spokeswoman said it would not comment on individual immigration cases. Speaking on condition of anonymity in keeping with government policy, she said a criminal indictment in another country "wouldn’t necessarily affect someone’s immigration status."

Thaksin’s lawyers and spokesmen did not respond to calls for comment.

On July 31, the criminal court convicted his wife of evading millions of dollars in taxes and sentenced her to three years in prison. She was released on bail.

Thaksin was also out on 8 million baht (US$237,000) bail in a case involving the purchase of a prime plot of real estate by his wife while he served as prime minister.

Monday’s Supreme Court hearing involved charges of abuse of authority and corruption in connection with Pojaman’s 2003 purchase of the valuable plot of land in Bangkok at a favorable price from a state agency.

Three other cases against Thaksin have gone to court, and many others are under investigation.

In 2006, the telecommunications billionaire-turned-politician began to facing growing allegations that he used the prime minister’s office to enrich himself and his family. The charges sparked confrontational anti-Thaksin protests and eventually a political standoff that led to the coup.

After Thaksin’s 2006 ouster, his Thai Rak Thai Party was disbanded by court order, but his allies assembled in a new party that came out top in a December 2007 general election to lead a new government.