Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra returned to Bangkok when his private jet landed at Don Mueang airport on Monday afternoon, the day before the Supreme Court’s ruling on his prolonged hospital stay instead of serving prison time.
His plane reportedly arrived in Singapore from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday morning and landed at Don Mueang airport at 2.54pm.
His black Mercedes-Maybach arrived at the private jet terminal at 2.58pm and left at 3.05pm.
He announced last week that he would be at the Supreme Court today to hear a ruling on the case regarding his extended hospital stay, during which he was kept out of prison from mid-2023 to early 2024.
Earlier, the father of former Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra claimed he left Thailand for Singapore on Thursday night for a medical checkup. However, he diverted his flight to Dubai due to an immigration delay in Bangkok, which prevented him from landing at Seletar Airport before it closed for the night.
Thaksin, 76, returned to Thailand on Aug 22, 2023, after more than 15 years of self-exile abroad.
He 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.
