Thai court acquits former PM Thaksin of royal defamation

The Criminal Court in Bangkok dismissed the charges under Section 112 of the Penal Code (lese majeste) and the Computer Crimes Act, which stemmed from an interview he gave to South Korean media in 2015.

"The court concluded that the prosecution's evidence did not prove beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant's statements were intended to refer to or defame the monarchy," the written judgment stated.

The charges, first filed by the military government in 2016 while Thaksin was in exile, were revived last year following his return to Thailand, and centred on the 2015 interview.

Following the ruling, Thaksin's lawyer Winyat Chartmontri said the court found that the video clips submitted as evidence were only partial excerpts of the interview and not the complete recording.

"Since the prosecution could not prove whether the clips were edited, and the defendant's remarks did not specifically refer to the King, the court gave the benefit of the doubt to the defendant and acquitted him," he said.

Thaksin's legal team said they would petition the Criminal Court to lift the travel ban that currently prevents him from leaving the country.

Thaksin returned to Thailand in 2023 after 15 years abroad to serve an eight-year sentence for abuse of power and conflict of interest, which was later reduced to one year by King Maha Vajiralongkorn. He was granted early parole in 2024 after serving part of his sentence.

In September, the Supreme Court is scheduled to rule on whether Thaksin's hospital stay should be counted as time served - a decision that could determine if he must return to prison.