Thailand’s ex-prime minister, Thaksin, faces a one-year jail sentence – DW – September 9, 2025

Thailand’s Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra did not properly serve his 2023 jail term, ordering him to serve one year in prison. The court stated that sending Thaksin to the hospital was not legal, as he was aware his illness was not an urgent matter and staying in the hospital could not count as a prison term. Consequently, the court issued a warrant to take Thaksin to Bangkok Remand Prison to begin serving his one-year prison term. The court was also investigating whether officials had mishandled his return to Thailand in 2023 to begin serving the sentences. Thaksin had been in exile for 15 years and was accused of abusing power upon his return to Thailand in 2023. He was released on parole after spending six months at the hospital, triggering public outrage and allegations of special treatment. The court also asserted that the billionaire intentionally prolonged his stay at the hospital. Before the ruling, some of Thaksin’s supporters gathered outside the Supreme Court amid tight security, and he arrived in court on Tuesday after returning from a surprise trip to Dubai. The Shinawatras’ populist appeal has dominated Thai politics for the past two decades; however, their popularity has waned in recent years. Thaksin’s daughter and protégée, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, was also sacked from the prime minister post by the Constitutional Court over a leaked phone call with Hun Sen, Cambodia’s Senate President, regarding a border dispute.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/thailand-s-former-pm-thaksin-sentenced-to-one-year-in-prison/a-73926243?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf