Legal eagles voice worries over Thaksin’s pardon bid

Two prominent legal figures have voiced concern over former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s latest request for a royal pardon, warning that it not only falls outside the scope of the law but could also expose the justice minister to criminal liability.

- CHAIRITH YONPIAM

Chao Meekhuad, a lawyer and former Democrat Party deputy spokesman, wrote on Facebook yesterday that Thaksin’s move to petition for a second individual pardon raises serious legal questions.

He noted that Thaksin had already been granted royal clemency, which reduced his eight-year prison sentence to one year. That reduction, he said, was the result of a royal command rather than the original court ruling.