File photo: Wissanu Krea-ngam
Former Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam has called accusations that he facilitated Thaksin Shinawatra’s long stay in the Police General Hospital, rather than serving his time in a prison cell, as groundless.
Sonthi Limthongkul, a media mogul, has alleged that Wissanu helped Thaksin, who was convicted on corruption charges, transfer from the Corrections Hospital to the Police General Hospital due to, what was claimed to be, a serious ailment.
Thaksin stayed in the hospital until his release on parole and completed his prison sentence without spending a single night in a cell.
Wissanu, then a deputy prime minister in Prayut Chan-o-cha's administration, claimed that he was at home when a Corrections Department official telephoned him near midnight to inform him about Thaksin’s transfer to the Police General Hospital.
“I was told that Thaksin was seriously ill and, by the time I received the call, he was already at the Police General hospital,' Wissanu said.
He said he instructed the official to follow up on Thaksin’s condition, adding “At that time, I thought Thaksin would stay there only a few days, as I did not know how serious his illness was.”
Wissanu stated that, shortly after that, he no longer held the position of deputy prime minister.
