Thai king cuts ex-PM Thaksin's jail term to one year

Thai King pardons former PM Thaksin Shinawatra and reduces his sentence to one year. The partial pardon from King Maha Vajiralongkorn was confirmed by the official Royal Gazette, with the announcement pointing to Shinawatra’s service to the country as PM.

Thailand's jailed former Premier Thaksin Shinawatra had his prison sentence cut from eight years to one by the King on Friday, just days after he returned from a decade and a half in exile.

The move came a day after the billionaire ex-Prime Minister, 74, applied for a royal pardon over graft and abuse of office convictions amid widespread speculation about a backroom deal to allow him clemency.

Mr. Thaksin, twice elected Prime Minister and ousted in a 2006 military coup, was sent to prison last week immediately after returning to the kingdom for the first time since 2008.

The partial pardon from King Maha Vajiralongkorn was confirmed by the official Royal Gazette, with the announcement pointing to his service to the country as prime minister.

"He is loyal to the institution of monarchy. When prosecuted, he respected the justice system," the statement said, noting that Mr. Thaksin also suffers numerous health problems.

"His Majesty the King has granted him amnesty and reduced the sentence on Thaksin Shinawatra, the prisoner, to one year in prison, so that he could use his expertise and experience to develop the country further."

His homecoming on Tuesday last week coincided with his Pheu Thai party returning to government in alliance with pro-military parties, leading many to conclude that an agreement had been struck to cut his jail time.