Thailand’s former Prime Minister Thaksin makes surprise departure ahead of a risky court ruling

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra made a sudden and surprising departure from the country Thursday, just five days before a court ruling that could open him up to a new prison sentence.

His exit came a week after the Constitutional Court removed his daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, from her position as prime minister. The court found her guilty of an ethics violation for a politically compromising phone call with Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen.

Parliament was set to vote Friday on a new prime minister to succeed Paetongtarn and install a new government. Many see this as the end of the power that Thaksin’s political machine has wielded for more than two decades. During that time, Thaksin faced prison time in various cases, though he spent no time behind bars.

Thaksin told Thai immigration authorities at Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport that his private jet was headed for Singapore. A police statement confirmed his plane was allowed to take off shortly after 7 p.m. because he had no arrest warrant or court order preventing him from leaving the country.

However, flight-tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press showed the private jet, a Bombardier BD-700, initially flew south toward Singapore before suddenly turning west, doing two circles and continuing toward India.

Thaksin later posted on X that he had intended to travel to Singapore for a medical checkup but that Thai immigration delayed him for nearly two hours. He said his pilot informed him during their flight that they wouldn’t be able to land at Seletar Airport, which serves small aircraft, before its scheduled closing time at 10 p.m. So Thaksin said he decided to change course to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, instead.

Thaksin lived in Dubai during his self-imposed exile starting in 2008. He wrote in his social media post that he had regular physicians there.

His Thursday travel prompted widespread speculation that he could flee a possible jail term again. However, Thaksin wrote that he intended to return to Thailand to appear in court on Tuesday in person.

Thaksin was prime minister from 2001 until a military coup ousted him in 2006 while he was abroad. He briefly returned to Thailand in 2008 but left again, skipping bail ahead of a court verdict on a corruption case.

He had been ousted amid accusations of corruption, abuse of power, and disrespect for Thailand’s monarchy. He returned to his homeland in 2023 to begin an eight-year sentence for three cases involving graft and abuse of power.

He was sent to a suite at Bangkok’s Police General Hospital instead of a prison, reportedly for medical reasons. His sentence was commuted to one year by King Maha Vajiralongkorn, and he was released on parole after six months.

The circumstances of his detention raised questions about whether he received special treatment. The Supreme Court’s ruling on Tuesday will determine if the Corrections Department acted legally in its handling of his case.

The mandate for the court’s investigation is broad, and it is unclear if Thaksin could be liable for the Corrections Department’s actions, though if he was found to be complicit in their wrongdoing, he might face charges that could result in a new prison sentence.

After leaving office, Thaksin faced a barrage of lawsuits and criminal charges he claimed were politically motivated. Last month, a criminal court acquitted him of royal defamation, an offense also known as lèse-majesté, which could have resulted in a 15-year prison sentence.

Thaksin’s sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, another ousted former prime minister, lives in Dubai after fleeing Thailand in 2017 ahead of a verdict on a dereliction of duty charge, for which she was later convicted in absentia.

Dubai is the largest city in the United Arab Emirates and home to the world’s tallest building and a luxury nightlife scene It has attracted other leaders facing political or legal challenges back home such as the late Pakistani Gen. Pervez Musharraf, who seized control of his country in a 1999 coup and later sided with the U.S. in its war in Afghanistan.

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Associated Press journalists Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Jintamas Saksornchai in Bangkok contributed to this report.