Former Thai Prime Minister says he has been acquitted of royal defamation

BANGKOK — Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said he was acquitted of royal defamation by a court Friday.

His lawyer also confirmed the verdict, but the Bangkok Criminal Court did not immediately issue a statement.

The law on defaming the monarchy, an offense known as lese majeste, is punishable by three to 15 years in prison. It is among the harshest such laws globally and increasingly has been used in Thailand to punish government critics.

When he was indicted last year, Thaksin’s freedom on bail was approved with a bond of 500,000 baht ($13,000) with the condition that he could not travel out of Thailand unless approved by court. His passport was confiscated.

Thaksin’s opponents, who were generally staunch royalists, accused him of corruption, abuse of power and disrespecting then-King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in 2016.

Thaksin was originally charged over remarks he made a year earlier to journalists in South Korea. The case was not pursued at that time because he was in exile and the necessary legal procedures could not be completed.

Since his return, Thaksin has maintained a high profile, traveling the country making public appearances and political observations that could upset the powerful conservative establishment that was behind his 2006 ouster.