Thailand’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been released early after a royal pardon

Thailand’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been released early after a royal pardon

Thailand’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is set to be released from the rest of his prison sentence after receiving a royal pardon, ending his parole months before it was due to expire in September.

Thaksin, one of Thailand’s most influential and polarizing political figures, had been serving the final part of a one-year sentence linked to abuse of power and conflicts of interest from his 2001–2006 term. His return from 15 years of self-exile in 2023 and later hospital stay while in custody triggered controversy over whether he received special treatment.

A former telecoms tycoon, Thaksin built a powerful political movement on populist policies that won strong support among rural and working-class voters, but made him a target of Thailand’s conservative, military-linked establishment. OCCRP previously reported that after fleeing Thailand, Thaksin obtained Montenegrin citizenship and was later linked to a 15-million-euro deposit at Montenegro’s First Bank.