Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been ordered to pay back taxes related to the sale of his telecoms firm, Shin Corp. The Supreme Court overruled an appeals court decision, with reports estimating the amount due at around $540 million. This dispute has been a long-standing point of contention in Thai politics.
Jailed former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been ordered to pay back taxes over the sale of his telecoms firm. He is one of Thailand's richest people. File photo of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra as he arrives at the Supreme Court ahead of a verdict on the legality of his six-month hospital stay before he was granted parole, in Bangkok, Thailand on Sep 9, 2025.
on Monday to pay back taxes over the sale of his telecoms firm, the judiciary said, with reports putting the sum due at around half a billion dollars. In 2006, Thaksin was dogged by corruption allegations and mired in controversy over the tax-free sale of shares in his company, Shin Corp. Later that year, he was ousted as prime minister in a coup and then went into exile for more than a decade. The 76-year-old politician, one of Thailand's richest people, is currently serving a prison sentence in Bangkok for corruption during his time in office.This service is not intended for persons residing in the E.U. By clicking subscribe, I agree to receive news updates and promotional material from Mediacorp and Mediacorp’s partners.On Monday, the Supreme Court overruled an appeals court decision in the tax case,"forcing Thaksin to follow the order by the Revenue Department to pay tax", court spokesman Suriyan Hongvilai told AFP.Several Thai media outlets reported that the court ordered Thaksin to pay 17.6 billion baht in tax liabilities and fines. Tax officials had slapped the former prime minister with a $500-million bill in 2017, resurrecting a dispute at the centre of the country's political rift between the populist politician and the military establishment. The controversy centred around whether Thaksin should have paid taxes on the sale of Shin Corp to Singapore's Temasek Holdings in 2006.The furore over the deal, which netted the Shinawatra family a $1.9-billion windfall, was a lightning rod for opposition to his government. Protests culminated in the coup that booted him from office and sparked years of debilitating political infighting between his supporters and opponents. The Shinawatra clan has for two decades been the key foe of Thailand's pro-military, pro-royalty elite, who view their populist brand of politics as a threat to the traditional social order. But the Shinawatra dynasty has faced a series of legal and political setbacks, including the court-ordered removal of Thaksin's daughter, Paetongtarn, as prime minister in August over an ethics breach.Commentary: Political dynasties are making a comeback in Southeast Asia. Here's why it mattersWe know it's a hassle to switch browsers but we want your experience with CNA to be fast, secure and the best it can possibly be.
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