The Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Office decided today to hold an inquiry, scheduled for June 13, to find out if the prison term imposed on former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra had been enforced.
The court, however, dismissed the petition, by former Democrat MP Charnchai Issarasena, calling for an enquiry into Thaksin’s controversial six-month treatment at the Police General Hospital, on the grounds that the petitioner is not a directly injured party in the case.
The court said that, since there are doubts about the enforcement of Thaksin’s imprisonment by the Corrections Department, it has the authority to hold an inquiry.
As part of the inquiry process, the governor of Bangkok Remand Prison, where Thaksin was supposed to spend his prison time, the director-general of the Corrections Department, the chief doctor at the Police General Hospital, as well as the prosecutor in the case, have been notified to appear before the court on June 13 at 9.30am.
Charnchai asked the Supreme Court to revoke its rulings of December 19, 2023 and February 15, 2024, and to hold an enquiry into the enforcement of the sentence imposed on Thaksin on corruption charges.
The court ruled, however, that the former Democrat MP was not a party in those cases and, therefore, had no standing to submit the petition.
Thaksin was sentenced to eight years in prison by the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Office. The term was reduced to one year through a Royal commutation, but he spent six months on the 14th floor of the Police General Hospital and was released on parole in February last year due to his age.
This was the third time that Charnchai had tried to get the Supreme Court to overturn the Corrections Department’s decision to keep Thaksin out of the prison and to have him put back inside.
On February 15 last year, the Supreme Court dismissed Charnchai’s petition on the grounds that Thaksin’s case was over when the court issued a warrant for his imprisonment.
The enforcement of the court’s sentencing and the decision to allow Thaksin to receive medical treatment outside the prison were within the authority of the Corrections Department, according to the previous court ruling.
The court also ruled that it is beyond its jurisdiction to rule on whether the Corrections Department’s handling of Thaksin’s imprisonment was legal or not.
