Former Thai Leader Thaksin Set to Be Released on Sunday, PM Says

(Bloomberg) -- Former Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra is set to be released from detention on Sunday, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said, six months ahead of the end of his prison term after authorities granted him parole citing old age and illness.

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Thaksin’s early release is in accordance with the law, Srettha told reporters on Saturday, confirming the former premier is due to be freed the following day. The 74-year-old is lodged at a police hospital in Bangkok after being sentenced on his return from a 15-year self exile in August last year.

The billionaire politician was included in a list of more than 900 prisoners eligible for suspended jail terms as he was older than 70 and suffered from chronic illnesses, according to the justice ministry.

Thaksin was moved to the police hospital within hours of his Aug. 22 incarceration in a Bangkok prison after complaining of chest pain and high blood pressure. The two-time prime minister was sentenced to eight years in jail on corruption charges upon his return from exile.

He was granted a partial royal pardon in September by King Maha Vajiralongkorn that saw his sentence commuted to just one year.

Under Thai law, prisoners who have served at least two-thirds of their sentences may be released early under probation. Additionally, prisoners who are 70 years or older and suffer from severe illnesses may also be eligible for release after serving at least six months, or a third of their sentence.

A controversial but enduring figure in Thai politics, Thaksin is the head of the Shinawatra clan that has dominated national elections since the turn of the century, only to be routinely unseated from power. His homecoming was seen as part of a deal with the military establishment that ousted him in 2006 and his sister Yingluck Shinawatra’s government in 2014.

Hours after Thaksin’s return to Thailand, Srettha was elected as the nation’s new prime minister after months of political deadlock. Thaksin’s youngest daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra took the helm of the ruling Pheu Thai party last year, further strengthening the clan’s political position.

Srettha said he won’t shy away from consulting Thaksin on issues where the former premier has expertise. He said it was too early to say if Thaksin would be appointed to any government committees as it would also depend on what the former leader wanted to do after his release.

--With assistance from Suttinee Yuvejwattana.

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