Thailand’s top court has ordered former Prime Minister and billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra to serve one year in prison to complete a sentence for a past conviction.
Thaksin, 76, served as Prime Minister from 2001 until he was ousted in a military coup in 2006. He made a dramatic return to Thailand in 2023 after 15 years in self-imposed exile, and was sentenced to eight years in prison for conflict of interest, abuse of power and corruption during his time in power.
Despite the sentence, Thaksin never spent a night in a prison cell. He served his time in a luxury suite at Bangkok’s Police General Hospital after complaining of tightness in his chest, high blood pressure and low oxygen levels.
Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn then reduced Thaksin’s prison sentence to one year, before he was released on parole six months later in February 2024.
The nature of Thaksin’s detention raised questions that he received special treatment. The court issued its ruling on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, 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 Supreme Court ruled that Thaksin’s prolonged hospital stay last year was unlawful and ordered him to serve his sentence at Bangkok Remand Prison.
The Court determined that Thaksin’s time in hospital did not count as time served. The court ruled that Thaksin knew or was aware that his medical conditions could have been managed as an outpatient, “without the need for prolonged inpatient care.”
The court statement said, “The defendant benefited from remaining in the hospital without having to return to custody at Bangkok Remand Prison until his eventual release.”
According to reports, Thailand’s medical council in June suspended two doctors who enabled Thaksin to spend his sentence in hospital, ruling they issued documents that contained false medical information. A prison doctor was also cautioned for failing to meet medical standards in referring Thaksin for hospital treatment.
The verdict was the final of three judgements against the powerful Shinawatra family, which has dominated Thailand’s turbulent and often violent political scene for more than 20 years.
The political patriarch recently survived a lese majeste case against him that could have seen him jailed for up to 15 years.
Thaksin Accepts Court Verdict
In a social media post after the verdict, Thaksin said that he accepted the court’s decision.
“Today I choose to look forward, letting all past matters come to a resolution. Though I may lack physical freedom, I still have the freedom of thought for the benefit of the nation and people.”
Thaksin Shinawatra
Speaking to reporters outside court, Thaksin’s daughter and former Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, said, “My father and our family remain holding high spirits.”
She added that the Shinawatras’ Pheu Thai political party “will carry on doing (our) political duty as the opposition party.”
However, many observers feel that the family’s power in Thailand is diminished, and its long dominant political machine could finally be out of steam.
Meanwhile, Thailand is at a crucial juncture. Over the past two decades the kingdom has largely been ruled by the Shinawatras or their proxies, or the military.
Last week, that changed when the Shinawatra’s Pheu Thai Party was ousted from government.
Anutin Charnvirakul, a veteran of Thai politics, won a vote in parliament to replace Paetongtarn and become Thailand’s next Prime Minister — the country’s third in two years.
The former Interior Minister who spearheaded Thailand’s legalization of cannabis, and his government took office on Sunday, September 7, 2025, after obtaining a royal endorsement from King Vajiralongkorn.
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