top court is going to pass its verdict on the jail term of the country’s most influential statesman, Thaksin Shinawatra.
Thaksin arrived in court on Tuesday, a day after he was back to Bangkok from his surprise trip to Dubai ahead of the court ruling that observers say could send him to prison.
and was accused of abuse of power upon his return to Thailand in 2023. The 76-year-old tycoon’s eight-year jail term was commuted to one year by the king, and Thaksin was released on parole just after six months.
He spent the majority of the prison term in hospital detention, which triggered public outrage and allegations of special treatment.
The court will decide whether Shinawatra served his prison sentence properly.
Ahead of the ruling, some of Thaksin’s supporters gathered outside the Supreme Court amid tight security.
Thaksin’s political dynasty in trouble
The Shinawatras’ populist appeal has dominated Thai politics for the past two decades.
However, recent years have seen their popularity wane, with the emergence of the progressive Move Forward, which was disbanded in 2023 despite winning the most seats in an election that year.
Last month, the tycoon’s was sacked from the prime minister post by the country’s Constitutional Court over a leaked phone call with Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen over a border dispute that escalated into deadly clashes.
Edited by: Rana Taha
The post Thailand’s top court to rule on ex-PM Thaksin’s prison term appeared first on Deutsche Welle.
