Thailand‘s Supreme Court has ruled that former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra must serve one year in prison, determining that his hospital stay from 2023 to early 2024 did not count as time served towards his earlier prison sentence.
The court found that Thaksin’s medical condition was not severe enough to justify bypassing prison and that he intentionally prolonged his hospital stay.
Thaksin, 76, was originally sentenced to eight years in prison for corruption and abuse of power after returning to Thailand in August 2023 following 15 years in exile.
However, his sentence was reduced to one year through a royal pardon, and he was later released early due to his age. Despite the seriousness of the charges, Thaksin never spent a day in prison as he was admitted to hospital due to health concerns.
After the court’s verdict, Thaksin was seen removing his jacket and getting into a prison van. In a statement on Facebook, he said, “today, I may no longer have freedom, but have freedom of thought to create benefit for the country and people.”
Thaksin’s daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, expressed concern for her father’s health but stated that he remains “in good spirits”.
The verdict has been seen as a significant blow to the Shinawatra dynasty, which has dominated Thai politics for over two decades.
Paetongtarn was recently removed as prime minister by a court over ethics violations, marking the sixth time a premier from or backed by the Shinawatra family has been removed by Thailand’s judiciary or military.
Ireport24news noted that the verdict would be unsurprising for many Thais, saying, “people were quite disappointed he spent all that time in police hospital; he didn’t even end up serving a night in jail in the end. I think this will be seen as some kind of justifiable sentence for the crimes that many people feel that he was guilty of during his time in power.”
Thaksin’s Pheu Thai party returned to power in 2023 but was recently ousted by the Bhumjaithai Party, its one-time ally and coalition partner. The development marks another challenge for the influential Shinawatra family in Thai politics.
