June 19, 2024
BANGKOK – The Criminal Court on Tuesday granted bail to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra after he pleaded innocent to a charge of defaming King Rama IX in 2015.
Thaksin, 74, was granted bail release on a bond of 500,000 baht and ordered not to leave the country without permission from the court.
In granting bail, the court reasoned that Thaksin was elderly and lived permanently with his family, with no indications he would flee or interfere with the case. Public prosecutors did not oppose bail release.
Asked by the court to enter his plea at 10.30am on Tuesday, Thaksin pleaded innocent to the charges of lese majeste and computer crime.
The charges stem from an interview he gave to Chosun Media in Seoul on May 20, 2015. The lawsuit alleges that his accomplices uploaded the interview to YouTube and Facebook on May 21 and 22.
In the interview, he accuses members of the Privy Council, the monarch’s advisory body, of supporting the 2014 coup against his sister Yingluck’s government.
The lawsuit alleges that the interview gave viewers the mistaken impression that Thaksin was referring to King Rama IX and that the Palace ordered the coup. The interview was aimed at inciting protests in Bangkok and around the country, the lawsuit claims.
Thaksin’s parole period after early release from a one-year sentence for power abuse as PM ends on August 31. Public prosecutors asked the court to count his new jail term from that date if he is convicted.
After granting bail, the court scheduled a hearing for the defence and prosecution to review each other’s witnesses and evidence on August 19.
Paetongtarn Shinawatra, leader of the Pheu Thai Party, posted a photo of her father Thaksin on Instagram on Tuesday morning. The caption read, “Sending love to our beloved grandfather.”
The lese majeste law, or Article 112 of the Criminal Code, carries a penalty of up to 15 years in jail for each offence.