Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is being freed from the remainder of his one-year prison sentence under a royal pardon, the justice minister announced Wednesday.
Thaksin, released on parole last month after serving eight months, had just over three months left on his sentence. King Maha Vajiralongkorn granted pardons to selected prisoners to mark Queen Suthida's birthday on June 3.
Justice Minister Rutthaphon Naowarat confirmed Thaksin qualifies for the pardon, though some administrative steps remain before he can shed his electronic ankle bracelet. The 76-year-old billionaire returned to Thailand in August 2023 after 15 years in exile to serve an eight-year sentence for conflicts of interest and abuse of power from 2001 to 2006.
Thaksin remains one of the most influential and divisive figures in Thai politics, with the Shinawatra family shaping successive populist governments.