Court to rule on Thaksin’s 14th floor case at 10am today
Supreme Court to deliver verdict in Thaksin Shinawatra’s 14th floor case today, deciding on final sentence and medical rights in custody.
At 10.00 a.m. today (September 9), the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions will deliver its ruling in the so-called “14th floor” case involving former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his treatment at the Police General Hospital. The case concerns the completion of his sentence and his entitlement to medical treatment while in custody.
The court has ordered Thaksin and the commander of Bangkok Remand Prison to attend the hearing in person.
Previously, Thaksin had been sentenced to eight years in total for three corruption cases, later reduced to one year by royal pardon. He was released from the Police General Hospital on February 18, 2024, under a special temporary suspension of sentence according to corrections regulations.
Questions have arisen over whether Thaksin ever stayed in prison, as he was escorted out of Bangkok Remand Prison in the early hours of August 22, 2023, for emergency treatment at the 14th floor of Police General Hospital and did not return to custody thereafter.
The trial began in early 2025, with the Supreme Court summoning 14 witnesses, including corrections officers, hospital doctors, and representatives from the Medical Council.
During the final hearing on July 30, 2025, former Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam testified as a defence witness, confirming Thaksin’s transfer from the airport to Bangkok Remand Prison and the subsequent medical transfer were conducted solely for security reasons, not as preferential treatment. He added that on August 22, 2023, there was no discussion of sentence suspension or prison transfer—only an inquiry regarding a royal pardon, which Thaksin subsequently received.
Today’s ruling will determine whether Thaksin has fully served his sentence or whether he must return to prison for additional months or days.
