By Panarat Thepgumpanat and Panu Wongcha-um
BANGKOK (Reuters) -Thailand’s Supreme Court will hold hearings in July over the legitimacy of the prolonged hospital stay of influential former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in lieu of prison, and it could potentially send him back to jail.
Friday’s hearing came a day after Thailand’s medical council upheld its decision to punish three doctors who allowed the 75-year-old tycoon to avoid jail, with the court requesting the medical council’s resolution to be submitted to its hearing.
Although Thaksin does not hold a formal role in government, he remains highly influential and is seen as the power behind the ruling Pheu Thai party, which is led by his daughter, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
The mounting challenges against the ex-premier, who is also currently on bail for a separate case of insulting the monarchy, have put more uncertainty around a government already besieged by a faltering economy and a border crisis with Cambodia.
The controversial billionaire former premier was sent to jail after his dramatic homecoming from self-exile in 2023 to serve a sentence of eight years for abuse of power and conflicts of interest.
The sentence was reduced to one year by the King. During his first night in prison, he was transferred to a police hospital after complaining of chest pains.
Thaksin remained in the hospital’s VIP ward for six months until he was released on parole. His prolonged stay has sparked public outrage and raised questions over his ailment.
The court on Friday summoned 20 witnesses to appear at its hearings, including a former corrections department head and physicians who treated Thaksin, as well as his medical records. Thaksin will be able to call his own witnesses at the hearings.
The panel of five judges set six sitting days next month to hear the case, with the first on July 4 and the last on July 30. The court said Thaksin was not required to appear at the proceedings.
“The truth is he was sick and he has completely served his sentence,” Thaksin’s lawyer, Winyat Chartmontri, told reporters outside the courthouse.
“The medical council never said Thaksin was not sick, the question was whether his conditions were critical or not,” Winyat said when asked about the medical tribunal’s decision.
(Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat and Panu Wongcha-um, Writing by Chayut Setboonsarng, Editing by John Mair)
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