The court will decide if the hospital stay should count as time served – and could order the polarising billionaire to complete the sentence in prison.
It sequestered his medical records and summoned 20 witnesses, including a former head of the corrections department and physicians who treated him.
Thailand’s medical council has suspended two doctors for issuing documents that contained false medical information. A prison doctor was cautioned for failing to meet medical standards in referring Thaksin for hospital treatment.
The 76-year-old appeared in good health as he returned from exile to cheering crowds in 2023 and in the months following his release, when he became active again in politics, though officially retired.
His lawyer in June insisted he had been sick during his hospital stay, adding “he has completely served his sentence”.
Amid turmoil in his party, Thaksin quietly flew on Thursday to Dubai, where he had spent most of his exile, prompting speculation that he had fled justice again. But he returned on Monday, having promised to attend the verdict.
Source: CNA
