KUALA LUMPUR – Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is sentenced to eight years in prison by the Supreme Court’s Political Office Holder Section for three corruption charges upon his return from a 15-year exile.
Thai news site Khaosod English reported that Thaksin arrived at the Bangkok remand prison in a black van just before noon. He landed at the Don Mueang airport at 9am (local time).
Thaksin was arrested after paying his respects to the king and queen at the airport terminal gate.
Meanwhile, Thaksin’s daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra posted on her Instagram that the former prime minister had “entered the legal process”.
Thaksin, 74, was sentenced to three years in prison for approving a loan from the Export-Import Bank of Thailand (Exim Bank) to the Myanmar government for a telecommunications project, Bernama reported.
He was sentenced to two years in prison for miscounting the results of a government lottery scheme and another five years in prison for altering contracts for his company, SHIN Corp, to give the company an unfair advantage. The sentences were reduced to eight years due to concurrent terms.
During Thaksin’s era as prime minister, he was seen as anti-military-royalist, which later resulted in two military coups, prolonged street protests and more than 90 dead in a 2010 crackdown on his supporters.
Yesterday, Bernama reported that Thai police chief Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittipraphat said the Immigration police would take Thaksin into custody and transfer him to the Metropolitan Police Division 2 where a record of his arrival would be made.
He said the former prime minister would be escorted to the Supreme Court to be confirmed as wanted under court warrants, and the court would issue a detention warrant and hand him over to the Correction Department, before moving him to the Bangkok remand prison.
Thaksin’s supporters have been camping outside the airport since Monday.
Judiciary Office spokesman Sorawis Limparangsi said Thaksin is expected to arrive at the Supreme Court at 10.30am (local time) and the courtroom will be open to only plaintiffs and the defendant’s relatives.
Bangkok Remand Prison has suspended inmate visitation at the prison to step up security in the area where Thaksin is expected to be transferred.
Prior to his return, Thaksin had tweeted this morning, saying, “I am seeking permission to return to Thailand and live on Thai soil and breathe the same air as my Thai brothers and sisters.”
Thaksin, who served as prime minister from 2001 to 2006, has been living in exile since 2008 spending most of his time in Dubai after his government was ousted in a military coup led by General Sonthi Boonyaratglin.
He fled Thailand in August 2008 to avoid prison time as he faced up to 10 years for his convictions by the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions in three separate cases. – August 22, 2023