Former PM Thaksin Immediately imprisoned After Supreme Court Ruling
Bangkok – Former Prime Minister (PM) of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatra was immediately thrown into prison in Bangkok on Tuesday (9/9) local time, shortly after the Supreme Court (MA) ordered him too serve a sentence of one year in prison regarding the corruption case that ensnared him.”He has entered prison,” said an official of the Bangkok Penitentiary, who declined to be named, as reported by AFP Tuesday (9/9/2025).
In its decision,the Thai Supreme Court stated that the previous Thaksin detention in the VIP room of the local hospital,as a substitute for prison sentences,had violated the law.
Thaksin, who is a billionaire and influential figure in Thailand, was sentenced to eight years in prison for corruption and abuse of power after returning to Thailand in August 2023, after years of life in exile abroad.However, Thaksin never spent a single night in prison. He was only jailed for a few hours before being moved to a private room in the Police General Hospital in Bangkok after complaining about heart problems and chest pain.
His punishment was then turned into a year in prison by King of Thailand Maha Vajiralongkorn before Thaksin was finally released after only six months,the whole sentence was spent at the hospital.
The Thai Supreme Court Judge, on Tuesday (9/9), stated that Thaksin did not suffer from severe illness and could be treated in prison. It was also stated that Thaksin and his doctor had deliberately extended his inhabited at the hospital.
“Sending him to the hospital is invalid, the defendant knows that his illness is not an urgent problem, and living in
Former thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra Returns to Prison After Court Ruling
Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was immediately taken to Bangkok prison on September 9, 2025, after the Supreme Court ruled he must serve a one-year sentence. This decision stems from a case regarding his six-month stay in a hospital while on parole, which the court deemed unlawful. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/ex-thai-pm-thaksin-shinawatra-sent-back-prison-over-hospital-stay-2025-09-09/
The 76-year-old Thaksin was escorted into a vehicle belonging to the Bangkok Penitentiary shortly after the court’s ruling. Reuters reported that the vehicle arrived at Bangkok prison less than an hour after the decision was announced. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/ex-thai-pm-thaksin-shinawatra-sent-back-prison-over-hospital-stay-2025-09-09/
Thaksin Shinawatra was originally sentenced in 2008 to two years in prison for abuse of power while in office, a charge he maintains was politically motivated. he was released on parole in Febuary 2024 but his extended hospital stay raised questions and ultimately led to this latest legal challenge. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/ex-thai-pm-thaksin-shinawatra-sent-back-prison-over-hospital-stay-2025-09-09/
(Reuters/Panumas Sanguanwong)