Thailand's Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra must serve one year in prison.
"Sending him to hospital was not legal, the defendant knows his sickness was not an urgent matter, and staying in hospital cannot count as a prison term," said the ruling read out by a judge.
Police would take Thaksin into custody, a Reuters reporter who attended the verdict said. The 76-year-old billionaire had yet to leave the courthouse.
Thaksin returned to Thailand on Aug 22, 2023, after more than 15 years of self-exile abroad.
The de facto leader of the Pheu Thai Party was immediately sentenced to eight years in prison across three cases—later reduced to one year by royal clemency—for abuse of authority and conflict of interest while serving as prime minister prior to 2006.
He was taken to Bangkok Remand Prison immediately after his arrival but was moved to Police General Hospital the same night, only 13 hours after entering detention.
He remained in the hospital until early 2024, when he was paroled amid questions over whether he received privileged treatment.
