Former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra seeks royal pardon after court sentenced him to one year for not completing prior corruption sentence.

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, 76, has filed a royal pardon petition after being sentenced to one year in prison by Thailand’s Supreme Court on September 9, 2025. The court ruled he did not fully serve his original eight-year sentence for corruption and abuse of power during his 2001–2006 tenure, citing his six-month stay in a hospital’s VIP wing upon returning from 15 years in self-exile. The pardon request, submitted through the Ministry of Justice, follows standard procedure and is now under review by royal authorities. Thaksin, a polarizing political figure, remains influential through his family and allies despite repeated legal challenges and the ousting of his daughter, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, in August over a controversial phone call with Cambodia’s former leader. The outcome of the pardon is pending.