by Panarat Thepgumpanat and Panu Wongcha-um
BANGKOK, Sept 1 (Reuters) – Thailand’s king has commuted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s eight-year prison sentence to one year in prison, the Royal Gazette said on Friday, a day after the billionaire was submitted a request for pardon.
The businessman was overthrown in a military coup in 2006. He left Thailand two years later before being sentenced in absentia.
He returned to Thailand last week to serve an eight-year sentence for abuse of power and conflict of interest. The first night he was transferred to a hospital due to chest pain and high blood pressure. He applied for a royal pardon on Thursday.
Thaksin Shinawatra “has served as Prime Minister, has done good for the country and the people, and is loyal to the monarchy,” the Royal Gazette read on Friday.
“He respected the procedure, admitted his guilt, repented and accepted the judgment of the courts. Today, he is elderly and suffers from an illness which requires the care of health professionals”.
Although he was absent for 15 years, Thaksin Shinawatra remains an influential figure in Thai politics. (Reporting Chayut Setboonsarng, Panarat Thepgumpanant and Panu Wongchu-um; French version Mariana Abreu, editing by Kate Entringer)
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