Thailand’s Supreme Court has ruled that former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra must serve a one-year prison term for corruption and abuse of power convictions, following an investigation into the handling of his return to Thailand in 2023 to begin serving his sentences.
The court found that Thaksin’s detention had been improperly managed, ruling that his time spent in a police hospital did not qualify as serving prison time, reports AP/UNB.
Upon his return to Thailand after more than a decade in self-imposed exile, Thaksin was initially placed in a suite at Bangkok’s Police General Hospital, reportedly for medical reasons, after only spending a short time in prison.
Thaksin’s original eight-year sentence was later reduced to one year by King Maha Vajiralongkorn, and he was granted parole after six months in the hospital. This raised concerns about possible preferential treatment, with questions about the legitimacy of his health condition.
Before the court’s decision, Thaksin appeared at the hearing accompanied by his family, including his two children, Pintongta Shinawatra and former Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra. Paetongtarn had been dismissed from her role the previous month after a court found her guilty of an ethics violation for making a politically sensitive phone call to Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen.
After the ruling, Paetongtarn spoke to the media, expressing gratitude to the king for commuting Thaksin’s sentence. She emphasised that Thaksin remains a spiritual figure in Thai politics and is always focused on serving the country and its people.
“I’m worried about my father, but I’m also proud that he has created so many historic moments for the country,” she said. “It’s quite tough, but of course we are still in a good spirit, both my father and our family.”
Thaksin is now expected to be transferred to Bangkok Remand Prison to begin serving his sentence.
