New attorney-general Itthiphon Kaewthip has attracted headlines, along with an outcry from Thaksin Shinawatra’s supporters, for deciding to appeal the ex-premier’s lese majeste acquittal.
Just weeks after taking office on October 1, Itthiphon ordered public prosecutors to appeal the Criminal Court’s August 22 ruling that there was insufficient evidence to prove Thaksin had insulted the monarchy in a 2015 interview with South Korean media.
Itthiphon’s November 17 decision contradicted a review by an 11-member committee at the Attorney-General’s Office, which had voted 8:2 in September not to appeal. The top prosecutor chaired the panel while serving as deputy attorney-general but reportedly abstained from the vote.
Public prosecutors have until December 19 to lodge the appeal, after the Criminal Court granted their request for a third deadline extension as they seek to build their case. The previous 30-day deadline expired on November 21.
Thaksin’s supporters – led by his children, lawyers and Pheu Thai Party politicians – say this legal setback is just the latest chapter in a long history of injustice against him. They portray him as a victim of prolonged political persecution, pointing to a series of court cases.
Widely regarded as Pheu Thai’s patriarch and de facto leader, Thaksin is currently serving a one-year prison term handed down by the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions in early September.
The court ruled that his transfer to serve his sentence at the Police General Hospital in 2023 was unlawful and thus did not count as time served in jail.
The same court had sentenced him to eight years in prison for three corruption convictions, but the term was reduced to one year by royal pardon following Thaksin’s return from a 15-year period of self-exile in August 2023.
20th attorney-general
Itthiphon, 65, was nominated by the Public Prosecution Commission in May to become Thailand’s 20th attorney-general, succeeding Phairach Pornsomboonsiri, who retired on September 30.
His nomination was endorsed by the Senate in July, with overwhelming support from 172 senators. The Royal Gazette confirmed his appointment by royal command in August.
A week after taking office, Itthiphon summoned public prosecutors for a meeting on October 8 to announce his policy guidelines.
He pledged to create a modern and transparent agency over the next year that is more closely connected to the public it serves.
“The focus will be on decentralising power, boosting staff participation, and building a better quality of work life for all,” he told the gathering, which was broadcast to the agency’s offices nationwide.
“I ask all prosecutors and staff to uphold the principle of ‘justice for the people’, working with transparency, care for citizens, increased efficiency, and sustainable management for the benefit of the country and its people.”
He added, “I cannot say for sure all these policies will be fully successful. That depends on the cooperation, dedication, and unity of everyone in our organisation.”
The Attorney-General’s Office has been under the prime minister’s authority since March 1991. Before then, it was known as the Public Prosecution Department and was under the Interior Ministry. Founded in April 1893, the department had 18 directors-general during its century-long history.
Decades-long career
Itthiphon earned his bachelor's and master’s degrees in law from Thammasat University and Chulalongkorn University, respectively. He obtained his licence to practise law from the Institute of Legal Education – a requirement to become a judge or prosecutor.
In 1987, Itthiphon launched what was to be a decades-long career in public prosecution as an assistant prosecutor. Thirteen years later, he became a provincial public prosecutor – first in Nonthaburi, then Nakhon Nayok, Phetchabun, and Nakhon Sawan. In 2015, he became a special prosecutor in the Criminal Litigation Department.
Itthiphon was appointed a deputy chief prosecutor in 2019 before being promoted to chief prosecutor in the Criminal Litigation Department two years later. In 2022, he rose to become deputy attorney-general, with promotion to attorney-general this year.
He was spokesman for the Attorney-General’s Office between 2020 and 2022.
Itthiphon has also served as a legal expert for several state agencies and institutes of higher education.
These include the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA), King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Navamindradhiraj University, Institute for the Promotion of Teaching Science and Technology, the Ministry of Education, and the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission.
