Thailand ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra is granted early parole

Thailand's former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, who's serving a one-year prison term for corruption, is set to be released on parole in May, according to a Department of Corrections statement on Wednesday.

Shinawatra, who is 76 years old, will walk out of prison on May 11 and will "need to comply with all conditions" until his probation ends, including wearing an electronic monitor, the statement said.

His age and the fact that he had less than a year left to serve out his sentence justified his early release, the statement added.

Why was Shinwatra in prison?

Shinawatra began serving his prison sentence on September 9 in Bangkok's Klong Prem Central Prison.

That sentence followed a court hearing on whether officials had mishandled Shinawatra's return to Thailand in 2023, after he spent years in self-exile.

Shinawatra was ousted as prime minister in a military coup in 2006. He fled Thailand in 2008 when he faced prison time for conflict of interest, abuse of power and corruption during his time in power. 

Shinawatra, who's also a billionare businessman, said the charges were politically motivated. 

He was sentenced to an eight-year prison term as soon as he returned to Thailand in 2023. 

But Thaksin complained of ill health when he reported to prison and was transferred to a state hospital in the middle of the night. He spent less than a day in prison and served out his sentence at a suite in the hospital.

The king eventually commuted his sentence to a one-year term, before Thaksin was released on parole six months later in February 2024.

Thailand is a constitutional monarchy, giving the king the final word on pardons of convicted criminals.

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Edited by: Alex Berry