Thai court says ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra must serve year in prison

Thailand’s Supreme Court has ruled that former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra must serve one year in prison, in a watershed case for the kingdom.

The court issued its ruling on Tuesday in a review of whether Thaksin’s stay in the private room of a police hospital from 2023 to early 2024 counted as time served towards an earlier prison sentence.

The judges said Thaksin did not have severe illness and his hospitalisation could not be counted as time served, adding the responsibility did not solely lie with doctors and that the former premier intentionally prolonged his hospital stay.

After the court’s verdict, Thaksin was seen at the court removing his jacket and getting into a prison van.

In a statement on Facebook, the 76-year-old said that he accepted the court’s decision.

“Today, I may no longer have freedom, but have freedom of thought to create benefit for the country and people,” Thaksin said.

Thaksin was originally sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment in 2023 for fraud and abuse of power following his surprise return to Thailand after 15 years in exile. That sentence was commuted to one year by Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn, and he was later released early due to his age.

Despite the seriousness of the charges and his jail sentence, the former premier and billionaire business tycoon never spent a day in prison as he was admitted to hospital due to health concerns.

“Of all the options that were on the table, either complete release or some form of home arrest, this is the worst option,” said Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Bangkok, Tony Cheng.

Cheng said that the verdict would be unsurprising for many Thais.

“People were quite disappointed he spent all that time in police hospital; he didn’t even end up serving a night in jail in the end. I think this will be seen as some kind of justifiable sentence for the crimes that many people feel that he was guilty of during his time in power,” he said.

Thaksin’s return to prison marks the latest blow for his troubled political dynasty, which has held sway over Thai politics for 25 years.

His daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra was sacked as prime minister by a court on August 29 over ethics violations – the sixth premier from or backed by the Shinawatra family to be removed by Thailand’s judiciary or military.

She held the post for less than a year.

Last week, Thaksin generated speculation online that he might once again try to flee Thailand after he made an unexpected trip to Dubai – a city where he spent time in exile in the past.

Thaksin’s private plane was bound for Singapore on Thursday night when it suddenly rerouted mid-air to the Middle East, raising questions online about whether he intended to return for the reading of his verdict.

Serving as prime minister from 2001 until 2006, Thaksin’s time in office was ended by a military coup and he left Thailand in 2008. But his Pheu Thai party and its political allies had remained highly influential ever since.

Despite wielding influence from abroad, Thaksin was never able to regain his former popularity following his return to Thailand in 2023, according to Al Jazeera’s Cheng.

“It was felt that this could be a second coming for Thaksin, but over the past two years we’ve really seen his influence wane. He wasn’t able to bring to bear that dynamism that we had seen before,” Cheng said.

Thaksin’s Pheu Thai party returned to power in 2023, but last week it was ousted by the Bhumjaithai Party, its one-time ally and coalition partner.