BANGKOK: An official said on Tuesday ( Feb 6), only weeks before his potential release on parole, that Thailand’s attorney general is considering prosecuting past Thai elite Thaksin Shinawatra over an alleged attack of the strong king.
After the military overthrew a state led by Thaksin’s girl, the junta in charge of Thailand filed the complaint, which is about an interview he gave in 2015 while in South Korea. Thaksin has vowed to uphold the king on numerous occasions.
In Thailand, where the law stipulates that the king may be held in a place of “revered worship,” insulting the crown is both illegal and demeaning. The lese-majeste rules is one of the closest in the world, punishing each alleged offense with up to 15 years in prison.
The powerful Thaksin, who served as prime minister from 2001 to 2006, abruptly returned home last August after spending 15 years in self-imposed exile to provide an eight-year prison term for abuse of power that the king after reduced to one year.
The businessman has n’t spent a whole night in jail but and is being held in custody there due to an unidentified medical issue. Later this month, he is ready for pardon.
The seven-year pause in responding to the royal insults issue, according to Prayut Petchkhun, a spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office, was caused by Thaksin traveling.
He added that Thaksin, 74, had denied wrongdoing and had given specialists” a email requesting justice,” but he provided no deadline for when a decision would be made. He omitted to expound on Thaksin’s accusation.
Thaksin could be partially released while the attorney general decides whether to file charges, according to Prayut, who added that if he is freed, police will detain him.
In response to a request for comment, Thaksin’s attorney did not immediately respond.
The Shinawatra community supports the latest Thai government, and Thaksin’s return coincided with Srettha Thavisin, an ally and real estate tycoon, becoming prime minister that same day.
Rumors of a covert political agreement between Thaksin and his formidable adversaries have been refuted by his friends.
A year has passed since Move Forward, the largest party in parliament, was forced by a judge to leave its contentious program to alter the lese-majeste law. This month marks the start of the announcement of ostensibly new case against Thaksin.
Days later, Move Forward received a barrage of complaints calling for its breakdown and life bans for numerous lawmakers due to its position on the crown-protective law.