Thailand’s Supreme Court has ordered former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to serve a one-year jail term after ruling that his prolonged hospital stay during his previous conviction was unlawful.
The 76-year-old political heavyweight, who led Thailand from 2001 until his ouster in a 2006 coup, returned to the country in 2023 after 15 years in self-imposed exile.
He was sentenced to eight years for corruption, abuse of power, and conflict of interest, but his jail term was later reduced to one year by royal pardon.
Instead of serving time in prison, Thaksin was admitted to Bangkok’s Police General Hospital, citing health concerns, including chest pains, high blood pressure, and low oxygen levels. He was released on parole in February 2024 after six months.
On Tuesday, however, the Supreme Court ruled that his hospital stay did not qualify as time served, insisting his medical conditions could have been managed on an outpatient basis. Thaksin has now been ordered to serve his sentence at Bangkok Remand Prison.
Video footage showed a convoy of vehicles believed to be transporting him to prison after the ruling. The court also criticized the medical reports that facilitated his prolonged stay in hospital, with two doctors already suspended earlier this year for providing false documentation.
In a statement following the verdict, Thaksin said he accepted the ruling: “Though I may lack physical freedom, I still have the freedom of thought for the benefit of the nation and people.”
His daughter, former Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who was recently removed from office over an ethics breach, said the family remained in “high spirits” and pledged that their Pheu Thai Party would continue its role as opposition.
The verdict marks another setback for the once-dominant Shinawatra dynasty, which has shaped Thai politics for over two decades but continues to clash with the country’s conservative and royalist establishment.
