Thailand’s Supreme Court sentenced former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to one year in jail following his conviction in a corruption and abuse of power case.
The top court ruled that Thaksin had not served part of his previous prison sentence properly and therefore his detention at a luxury ward at a police hospital did not count as time served in prison.
Thaksin built one of Thailand’s most powerful political dynasties before being ousted in a 2006 coup. He spent 15 years in self-imposed exile before returning home in 2023 to serve a reduced corruption sentence after his daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, was elected prime minister.
He was freed on parole in early 2024 after just months in hospital, fuelling criticism that he had received special treatment.
His daughter Paetongtarn was also removed from office last month following a constitutional court hearing over a leaked phone call with Cambodia’s Hun Sen that caused outrage in the country.
Ms Paetongtarn, who came along with his 76-year-old father to court on Tuesday, raised concerns about his health.
“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.”
She said Thaksin would remain a spiritual leader in Thai politics and that he always thinks about working for the good of the country and the Thai people.
Thaksin’s latest legal troubles trace back to an earlier conviction dating to his time as prime minister.
An influential and highly polarising figure in Thai politics, Thaksin was accused of abuse of power during his time in office from 2001 to 2006.
Removed from office in a 2006 military coup, he spent years in self-imposed exile, mainly in Dubai, before making a dramatic return to Thailand. Soon after, he was convicted on corruption and abuse-of-power charges from his premiership and handed an eight-year prison term.
That punishment was later reduced to a single year after he petitioned King Maha Vajiralongkorn for clemency. Yet he never served the sentence in full – in fact, he spent less than 24 hours in a prison cell before being moved to a suite at the Police General Hospital, citing heart complications.
The case was dubbed as the “14th floor case”, named after the hospital ward he spent his imprisonment. He remained in hospital for six months, after which he was granted parole and allowed to return to his Bangkok residence.
