BANGKOK (AP) — In a landmark ruling, Thailand’s Supreme Court announced that former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is mandated to serve a one-year prison term due to previous convictions. The court's decision emerged from inquiries into the circumstances surrounding Thaksin's return to Thailand in 2023, where he was expected to commence serving his sentence.
After fleeing for over a decade, Thaksin returned to Thailand and was quickly moved from prison to a suite in Bangkok’s Police General Hospital, ostensibly for medical reasons, following less than a day in incarceration. His sentence, originally spanning eight years for graft and abuse of power, was commuted to one year by King Maha Vajiralongkorn, with Thaksin being released on parole after merely six months spent in the hospital.
These developments have sparked scrutiny and raised questions regarding possible preferential treatment, as many observers have expressed skepticism about the validity of Thaksin’s medical condition during this process.
After fleeing for over a decade, Thaksin returned to Thailand and was quickly moved from prison to a suite in Bangkok’s Police General Hospital, ostensibly for medical reasons, following less than a day in incarceration. His sentence, originally spanning eight years for graft and abuse of power, was commuted to one year by King Maha Vajiralongkorn, with Thaksin being released on parole after merely six months spent in the hospital.
These developments have sparked scrutiny and raised questions regarding possible preferential treatment, as many observers have expressed skepticism about the validity of Thaksin’s medical condition during this process.
