(Adnkronos) – Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has arrived at Bangkok prison, where he will serve a one-year sentence for corruption, following his conviction by the Supreme Court. The court ruled that the former prime minister must be imprisoned in a cell, after a previous entry into prison was avoided for health reasons and the former prime minister was transferred to a hospital. Shortly after the sentence was announced, Thaksin released a statement on social media stating that “although I will lose my physical freedom, I will still have freedom of thought for the good of my country and its people.” He also promised to maintain his strength to serve the monarchy, Thailand and its people.
In 2023, Thaksin was found guilty of corruption and abuse of power during his term in office and sentenced to eight years in prison. Following the request for pardon, the Thai king commuted the sentence to one year. But Thaksin spent only a few hours in jail before complaining of heart problems and subsequently being transferred to a luxury wing of the police general hospital. He remained there for six months, then obtained parole and moved to his home in Bangkok. Today, a Supreme Court judge stated in a note that Thaksin “knew or could perceive that he was not in critical or emergency conditions,” adding that the man suffered from pre-existing chronic conditions, but could have been treated on an outpatient basis.
