Just days after his 15-year exile ended, Thaksin Shinawatra, the incarcerated former premier of Thailand, had his prison term reduced by the king on Friday from eight to one years.
The action was taken a day after the 74-year-old millionaire ex-prime minister filed for a royal pardon for convictions for bribery and abuse of office amid widespread rumors of a backroom arrangement to grant him amnesty.
The twice-elected prime minister Thaksin, who was deposed in a military coup in 2006, was imprisoned last week after visiting the kingdom for the first time since 2008.
The official Royal Gazette announced the partial pardon from King Maha Vajiralongkorn, citing his contributions to the nation as prime minister.
“He is loyal to the institution of monarchy. When prosecuted, he respected the justice system,” the statement said, noting that Thaksin also suffers numerous health problems.
“His Majesty the King has granted him amnesty and reduced the sentence on Thaksin Shinawatra, the prisoner, to one year in prison, so that he could use his expertise and experience to develop the country further.”
On Tuesday of last week, he returned home at the same time as his Pheu Thai party entered the government in coalition with militarist parties, prompting many to believe that a deal had been reached to shorten his sentence.
Thaksin, a former telecom magnate and owner of Manchester City, is one of the most important but contentious personalities in Thai contemporary history.
For his populist initiatives in the early 2000s, he was adored by millions of rural Thais, but he has long been despised by the nation’s royalist and pro-military establishment.
