BANGKOK — Thailand’s Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra must serve a one-year prison sentence, declaring his extended hospitalization during detention unlawful and dealing a significant blow to the influential political family that has shaped the nation’s politics for decades.

Thaksin Returns to Bangkok Ahead of Supreme Court Verdict

In a sharply worded verdict, the court stated: “Sending him to hospital was not legal. The defendant knows his sickness was not an urgent matter, and staying in hospital cannot count as a prison term.” Police were instructed to take the 76-year-old billionaire into custody immediately following the ruling.

Thaksin returned to Thailand in August 2023 after 15 years in self-exile and was initially sentenced to eight years in prison across three cases involving abuse of authority and conflicts of interest during his premiership, which ended with a 2006 coup. His sentence was later reduced to one year through royal clemency.

Thailand’s former PM Thaksin Shinawatra to serve one-year prison term for previous convictions https://t.co/R68IqJqUlg

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He was transferred to Police General Hospital just 13 hours after being admitted to Bangkok Remand Prison, where he remained until his parole in early 2024. The hospitalization sparked widespread allegations of preferential treatment and undermined public confidence in judicial transparency.

The ruling underscores ongoing legal and political challenges for the Shinawatra family and its Pheu Thai Party, which remains a dominant force in Thai politics. Thaksin’s case continues to symbolize the deep divisions between his populist movement and the conservative establishment.

Thaksin Diverts to Dubai but Vows Return for Supreme Court Verdict

Authorities confirmed Thaksin was still in the courthouse at the time of the verdict. His return to prison marks a pivotal moment in Thailand’s turbulent political landscape, with implications for both governance and public trust in the justice system.

-Thailand News (TN)