Thai court dismisses royal insult case against ex-PM Thaksin
The influential tycoon had denied wrongdoing in the case brought by the royalist military stemming from a 2015 media interview.
Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra waves as he arrives ahead of a Thai criminal court's verdict in a lese majeste case on Aug 22, 2025. (Photo: Reuters/Athit Perawongmetha)
BANGKOK: A Thai court has dismissed a royal insult case against former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, citing insufficient evidence to prove any wrongdoing.
The case stemmed from a 2015 media interview Thakisin gave during his long stint in self-imposed exile. It was brought by the country's royalist military that ousted both Thaksin and his sister Yingluck Shinawatra from power in coups in 2006 and 2014, respectively.
Thaksin, 76, had faced a jail term of up to 15 years over accusations that he had breached the country's strict lese majeste laws shielding the royal family from abuse and criticism.
The tycoon, who appeared at the court with a yellow necktie, the colour associated with Thailand's monarchy, had denied wrongdoing. He has repeatedly pledged allegiance to the king, who is enshrined in the Thai constitution as being in a position of "revered worship", with the palace seen by royalists as sacrosanct.
Although he has no official role in government, Thaksin remains politically active and is widely seen as the power behind the ruling Pheu Thai party, which is losing popularity and hanging on by a thread over the conflict with neighbouring Cambodia and a stuttering economy.
Thaksin returned to Thailand in 2023 after 15 years abroad to serve an eight-year sentence for abuse of power and conflicts of interest, which was reduced to one year by King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
He returned the day his family's Pheu Thai party took office at the head of a coalition government backed by their conservative former enemies, fuelling suspicions a backroom deal had been struck.
He did not spend a single night in jail, however, and was transferred to the luxury wing of a police hospital on medical grounds, where he remained for six months before being released on parole.
Another court will decide 18 days later if the tycoon's 2023 detention in a VIP hospital wing, instead of jail, means his prison sentence for abuse of power and conflicts of interest was not fully served.
Thaksin's is the highest-profile case among the more than 280 prosecutions in recent years under the controversial law, which activists say has been abused by conservatives to silence dissent and sideline political rivals. Royalists say the law is necessary to protect the crown.
The ruling on Thaksin's case is the first in a series of upcoming rulings involving the powerful Shinawatra dynasty.
His daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, was suspended as Thai prime minister in July by the Constitutional Court pending an ethics probe into her conduct during a leaked diplomatic phone call discussing a deadly border clash between Thailand and neighbouring Cambodia.
In the call, Paetongtarn referred to Cambodian ex-leader Hun Sen as "uncle" and described a Thai military commander as an "opponent" – sparking backlash for seeming to kowtow to a foreign statesman and undermine her own country's military.
Thailand's Constitutional Court announced last week that it would give its verdict on Paetongtarn's case at 3pm local time on Aug 29.
The verdicts come at a critical moment for Southeast Asia's second-largest economy, which is struggling with weak growth, high household debt, slowing tourism and investor concern over policy continuity.
