Thailand Supreme Court Orders Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra Back to Prison Over Fake Medical Reports
Thailand’s Supreme Court has on Tuesday directed former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to return to Bangkok Remand Prison and serve a one-year jail term, PulseNets learnt.
The 76-year-old billionaire politician, once the owner of Premier League side Manchester City, had been sentenced in 2023 to eight years in prison on charges of corruption and abuse of power. That sentence was later reduced to one year by King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
Although the reduced sentence appeared to settle his fate, Thaksin never spent a day behind bars. PulseNets obtained records showing that shortly after his conviction, he was admitted to the Police General Hospital in Bangkok. Doctors cited alleged health issues ranging from high blood pressure to low oxygen levels, placing him in what sources described as a “palatial suite” rather than a prison cell.
In February 2024, he was released on parole just six months later without stepping foot in prison, a development that sparked widespread anger across Thailand.
On Tuesday, however, the Supreme Court ruled that Thaksin was given preferential treatment through falsified medical documents. “The defendant benefited from remaining in the hospital without having to return to custody at Bangkok Remand Prison until his eventual release,” the justices stated. The court further stressed that his health complaints could have been managed “without the need for prolonged inpatient care.”
PulseNets learnt that in June, Thailand’s Medical Council suspended two doctors who had played a role in preparing the questionable health reports that allowed Thaksin to evade jail.
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A source close to the proceedings told PulseNets that the court’s ruling closes what many had seen as a mockery of Thailand’s justice system. Thaksin is now ordered to serve his one-year prison term in Bangkok Remand Prison, ending months of legal drama over whether the former prime minister was above the law.
