King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand gave a pardon to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Wednesday. This pardon helps the 76-year- billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra. He was supposed to serve a one-year prison sentence. Now he is free from the rest of it. He was released than three months before his sentence was set to end in September. Thailand’s Justice Minister Pol Lt Gen Rutthaphon Naowarat confirmed to reporters that Thaksin was among those named in a Royal Decree on Pardons published in the official royal gazette on Tuesday evening. The pardon was issued to mark Queen Suthida’s birthday on June 3.
Thaksin had been released on parole last month after serving eight months in prison, and had just over three months remaining on his sentence at the time the pardon was granted. The decree removes that remaining term entirely, along with his probation conditions and his requirement to wear an electronic ankle monitoring bracelet.
Justice Minister Rutthaphon told reporters Wednesday that administrative procedures still had to be completed before Thaksin could formally remove the ankle bracelet and be considered fully discharged. He did not specify a timeline for those procedures.
Thaksin’s lawyer, Winyat Chartmontri, said he could not immediately confirm the details of the pardon. “Based on his qualifications, he appears to meet the criteria to receive the benefit of a royal pardon and release,” Winyat told Reuters.
A Legal Saga Spanning Two Decades
Thaksin returned to Thailand in August 2023 after 15 years of self-imposed exile to serve an eight-year sentence for conflicts of interest and abuse of power committed during his time as prime minister from 2001 to 2006. He returned on the same day that a party allied to him secured enough parliamentary support to form a government.
His return immediately drew controversy. Within hours of arriving at prison, Thaksin was transferred to a hospital, citing heart and chest-related ailments. That transfer drew intense public scrutiny and accusations of preferential treatment. His sentence was later reduced to one year by royal clemency, and he spent six months in hospital before being granted parole.
The hospital stay then came back to haunt him. Thailand’s Supreme Court ordered Thaksin back to prison in September 2025, ruling that his prolonged hospital stay was not medically necessary and could not be counted as time served. He served eight months under that ruling before being paroled on May 11, 2026, according to The Bangkok Post.
The Royal Decree on Pardons of 2026, published in the Royal Gazette, placed Thaksin among hundreds of prisoners granted clemency ahead of celebrations marking the fourth-cycle birthday anniversary of Queen Suthida. Thailand has a longstanding tradition of issuing such pardons on major royal occasions, including royal birthdays and national commemorations.
Outstanding Legal Exposure
The royal pardon closes Thaksin’s criminal sentence, but it does not resolve all of his legal exposure. In November 2025, the Supreme Court ruled against Thaksin in a long-running tax dispute, ordering him to pay 17.6 billion baht in personal income tax, fines, and fees arising from the 2006 sale of Shin Corporation shares. The court overturned earlier rulings by lower courts that had sided with Thaksin and annulled the Revenue Department’s original tax assessment.
The Shin Corp case stems from the sale of the Shinawatra family’s controlling stake in the telecoms conglomerate to Singapore-based Temasek Holdings while Thaksin was still prime minister. The Supreme Court’s ruling reinstates the tax liability and paves the way for enforcement proceedings.
Protesters have already petitioned Thailand’s prime minister and finance minister to accelerate enforcement of the tax collection, with around 40 demonstrators gathering at Government House to submit the petition. The Bangkok Post reported that the group demanded urgent action to protect state interests.
Political Significance
For twenty years Thaksin stayed an important and also a very controversial person in Thai politics. He helped make governments that were good, for people and these governments were led by or worked with the Shinawatra family, who were very powerful. His ouster in a 2006 military coup set off years of political polarisation between his supporters and a royalist-aligned opposition — a fault line that restructured Thai politics and produced multiple coups, constitutional rewrites, and street protests.
Thaksin’s legal troubles deepened after the collapse of the Pheu Thai-led government last year and the rise of former ally-turned-rival Anutin Charnvirakul to the premiership. His daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, previously served as prime minister before losing the position following a court ruling, according to reporting by News on Air.
The Bangkok Post reported that Thaksin is expected to resume a behind-the-scenes role in Pheu Thai Party affairs, though his pending tax case means he must keep any political engagement discreet.
What Happens Next
Thaksin has to finish some paperwork before they take off his ankle bracelet, for good says Justice Minister Rutthaphon. Thaksin needs to do this so that Thaksin can have the ankle bracelet removed officially. Once those steps are concluded, he will face no further obligations under his criminal sentence. The Revenue Department is expected to pursue enforcement of the Supreme Court’s 17.6 billion baht tax ruling, according to the Bangkok Post. A second Shin Corp-related tax case has also reached the courts, according to the same outlet, meaning Thaksin’s legal exposure extends beyond the November 2025 ruling. Thaksin’s movements had previously been restricted to greater Bangkok under parole conditions; the royal pardon removes those geographic limits, according to Thai Examiner.
