Ex-Thai PM Thaksin Seeks Royal Pardon Following Supreme Court Prison Ruling

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, sentenced to one year in prison for conflicts of interest and abuse of power during his 2001-2006 tenure, has submitted a petition for a royal pardon following a Supreme Court ruling that he did not serve his original sentence due to time spent in a VIP hospital after returning from 15 years of self-exile. The royal pardon process, which is a standard right for inmates who have completed their legal cases, has progressed through the Ministry of Justice and is now with the Secretariat of the Cabinet for further consideration. Thaksin has been a dominant figure in Thai politics for three decades, with his administrations often disrupted by court rulings and coups, and his political legacy continues amid ongoing political shifts, including the recent rise of Anutin Charnvirakul as Prime Minister after the dismissal of Thaksin's daughter. The pardon request coincides with the early days of the new Cabinet, appointed and sworn in September 2025, which is beginning its full operations. The multi-step pardon process involves reviews by prison authorities, the Department of Corrections, the Justice Minister, the Secretariat of the Cabinet, and the Privy Council, with the final decision resting with the royal command. This is Thaksin's second pardon request, the first having reduced his original eight-year sentence to one year upon his return to Thailand.