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Money and connections might take you far in life, but Panthongtae Shinawatra is discovering they don't do you much good on the final exam. The 22-year-old son of Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand's prime minister, was reportedly caught cheating with crib notes during a political science exam at Bangkok's Ramkhamhaeng University. According to local newspaper reports, Panthongtae signed a confession and could now face a one-year school suspension.

The incident comes on the heels of his transfer last year from Thammasat University, Thailand's Yale, to Ram-khamhaeng, the equivalent of Florida State. At the time, Panthongtae complained he didn't like the classes at Thammasat. The Bangkok Post reported he failed four exams at Ramkhamhaeng.

The PM, a telecommunications magnate, refused to comment on the cheating scandal. State-run television channels and Thaksin's ITV network didn't mention it, either. Yet things will probably turn out all right for Panthongtae. Technically, he is already Thailand's richest man because Thaksin placed his multibillion dollar fortune in a trust in Panthongtae's name before entering politics. If only dad could give him some help boning up on political science.