No concrete evidence has emerged to support claims that former premier Thaksin Shinawatra was too ill to serve his prison sentence, former national police chief Pol General Sereepisuth Temeeyaves said.
Sereepisuth, who is also leader of the Seri Ruam Thai Party, told the press on Monday that he had been invited by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to testify on the case for a second time so more details may come to light. However, he declined to disclose the content of his testimony.
The NACC is investigating allegations of misconduct by state officials who may have facilitated Thaksin’s prolonged stay in a VIP suite at the Police General Hospital. A committee has been set up to gather evidence and interview witnesses.
Thaksin, who returned to Thailand in 2023, was sentenced to eight years in prison for three separate cases, though this was reduced to one year through royal clemency. Yet, he did not spend a single night behind bars, being instead transferred to a premium ward on the 14th floor of the hospital reportedly due to serious health issues.
Thaksin remained in the VIP room for about six months before being granted parole and discharged from hospital on February 18 last year. His sentence officially ended in August 2024.
Sereepisuth said that Thaksin’s medical records should be reviewed by the NACC to see if he was actually as ill as claimed.
He added that Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong’s claim that there were receipts showing Thaksin’s hospitalisation did not prove that the former premier was actually critically ill.
“Critical patients must undergo examinations of the brain, heart and lungs,” he said. “But in Thaksin’s case, there’s no evidence of such examinations. If he were truly critically ill, he would not have been transferred to the 14th floor, but would have been taken to the emergency room first.”
Sereepisuth further suggested that the NACC should interview all individuals who visited Thaksin during his hospital stay, including his daughter, PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
He added that he had also met Thaksin in his suite on the 14th floor, where the former premier allegedly asked him to withdraw a complaint against ex-premier Srettha Thavisin.
Sereepisuth said Thaksin showed no sign of severe illness during the meeting.