Thailand’s Supreme Court will on Tuesday decide whether former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra must serve prison time he skipped while in hospital detention, in a ruling that could finally send the country’s most influential tycoon behind bars.
According to Reuters, after returning from 15 years of self-imposed exile in 2023, Thaksin spent only a few hours in prison before being transferred to a hospital, citing heart and chest pains. The move triggered widespread scepticism and public outrage.
Thaksin’s eight-year sentence for abuse of power and conflicts of interest was commuted to one year by the king, and he was released on parole after just six months—all served in a VIP hospital wing.
His political empire is under scrutiny after his daughter and protégé Paetongtarn Shinawatra was dismissed as prime minister by a court ruling 11 days ago, becoming the sixth Shinawatra-linked premier ousted by the military or judiciary.
Her government collapsed last Friday after being outmanoeuvred by challenger Anutin Charnvirakul, who was elected as Thailand’s new prime minister in a humiliating blow to the once-dominant Pheu Thai party.
The Supreme Court will decide if Thaksin’s hospital stay should count as time served and could order him to complete the sentence in prison.
The court has seized his medical records and summoned 20 witnesses, including former corrections officials and treating physicians. Thailand’s medical council suspended two doctors for providing false medical documents, while a prison doctor was reprimanded for improper referral.
Despite being 76, Thaksin appeared healthy upon his return in 2023 and was active in politics after release, though officially retired. His lawyer in June insisted that he was genuinely ill and had “fully served his sentence.”
Amid turmoil within his party, Thaksin quietly flew to Dubai last Thursday, sparking speculation of another escape, but he returned on Monday, pledging to personally attend Tuesday’s verdict.
