Thaksin Shinawatra, the billionaire former prime minister of Thailand, has been granted a royal pardon, shortening his parole by two weeks and ending on Sunday, as announced by his lawyer on Saturday. His daughter was elected as the prime minister the day before.
The 75-year-old Thaksin was overthrown in a military coup in 2006 and chose self-exile to avoid imprisonment. Last August, he made a dramatic return to the country but was detained in a hospital for six months due to health reasons, only being granted parole in February.
Upon his return, he was sentenced to eight years in prison for abusing power and conflict of interest during his tenure from 2001 to 2006. In September of last year, King Maha Vajiralongkorn reduced his sentence to one year.
Thaksin’s lawyer, Winyat Chartmontri, wrote on his personal Facebook account, “Thaksin Shinawatra is one of the individuals granted a royal pardon.”
“He will soon receive official documents from the prison declaring his freedom.”
Winyat told Reuters that the parole was originally set to end at the end of the month but was shortened to Sunday as part of the royal pardon.
After celebrating his 72nd birthday last month, the well-behaved prisoners were promptly granted clemency.
The Royal Gazette published on Saturday stated, “The King provides opportunities for those who improve themselves and benefit the country.”
The day before, Thaksin’s youngest daughter, 37-year-old Paetongtarn Shinawatra, was elected as the new prime minister of Thailand with the support of nearly two-thirds of the votes in the parliament, becoming the youngest prime minister in the country’s history. She is the third member of the Shinawatra family to hold this highest office.
On Wednesday, Thaksin’s ally, Srettha Thavisin, had his appointment as prime minister revoked by the Constitutional Court due to the criminal history of the cabinet ministers he appointed, laying the groundwork for Thaksin’s daughter to become the new prime minister candidate.
Thaksin’s sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, served as Thailand’s prime minister from 2011 to 2014 and was the country’s first female prime minister.