The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has initiated an investigation into multiple government officials following allegations that they facilitated former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s hospital stay instead of serving his prison sentence. NACC Secretary-General Sarote Phuengramphan announced the decision on Monday, citing evidence that officials from the Department of Corrections and Police General Hospital may have colluded to send Thaksin to the hospital to evade imprisonment.
The allegations suggest that Thaksin was permitted to reside at Police General Hospital for 180 days despite not being critically ill. Sarote confirmed that the NACC has gathered sufficient evidence, including witness testimonies, to warrant an investigation into the actions of 12 officials associated with the Department of Corrections and the hospital.
Thaksin returned to Thailand on August 22 of last year after 15 years in self-imposed exile. Upon his return, he faced the Supreme Court, which sentenced him to eight years in prison across three cases, although royal clemency later reduced this sentence to one year.
On his first night at Bangkok Remand Prison, medical professionals determined that Thaksin required transfer to the hospital for treatment of chest pain, hypertension, and low blood oxygen levels. Although he was authorized to receive medical care outside of prison for 120 days, the Department of Corrections allowed his hospital stay to extend beyond the Dec 22 deadline.
Thaksin was ultimately paroled and discharged from the hospital on February 18, having formally completed his one-year prison term by August 31 of this year.
