Thai billionaire and former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has reportedly made a formal request for a royal pardon, as revealed by Thai media on August 30, DW reports.
This request comes just a week after his return to Thailand and subsequent imprisonment due to convictions related to corruption and abuse of power. As per the media reports, Thaksin's plea for a pardon was confirmed by a senior aide to the outgoing justice minister, Wissanu Krea-ngam, and relayed to the French AFP news agency.
The process entails submitting the request to the justice minister through the corrections department, followed by consideration by the prime minister. Ultimately, the request is presented to King Maha Vajiralongkorn. Reasons for Thaksin's Incarceration Thaksin, a former Prime Minister and founder of the Pheu Thai party, was overthrown in a coup 17 years ago, prompting his self-imposed exile.
His return to Thailand after 15 years resulted in swift arrest and subsequent sentencing by the Supreme Court, leading to an eight-year imprisonment for graft and abuse of power charges. These charges stem from previous convictions that were handed down in his absence. Thaksin had established the Thai Rak Thai party in 1998, later known as the current ruling Pheu Thai party.
Questions about the timing of his return have arisen, with suspicions emerging that his homecoming might have been part of a deal between the Pheu Thai party and other political factions, possibly involving a pardon arrangement. Srettha Thavisin, recently appointed as the nation's Prime Minister, is now associated with Thaksin's political movement.
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