Thai court acquits former PM Thaksin of royal insult

BANGKOK - Thailand's criminal court on Friday acquitted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra on royal defamation charges over his remarks to foreign media a decade ago.

Thaksin has been found not guilty due to insufficient evidence to prove his wrongdoing, the court said in a statement.

"The case was dismissed," Thaksin said to reporters upon leaving the courthouse.

The prosecution's evidence presented failed to meet the burden of proof required for the indictment, said Thaksin's lawyer Winyat Chatmontree.

Thaksin thanked his legal team after the verdict was read out, stating that he could now fully dedicate himself to working for the nation's benefit, Winyat told reporters following the ruling.

The Office of the Attorney General indicted Thaksin last year, accusing him of defaming the monarchy during a 2015 interview with a South Korean media outlet, which violated lese majeste and computer crime laws.

The lese-majeste law, or Section 112 of the Criminal Code, stipulates that whoever defames, insults, or threatens the king, queen, heir apparent, or regent shall be punished with imprisonment of three to 15 years.

In a separate case, the Supreme Court is scheduled to rule in September on whether Thaksin's extended hospital stay prior to his release on parole in 2024 constitutes an incomplete serving of his prison term for previous convictions.

The 76-year-old returned to Thailand from self-exile two years ago. He served as the Southeast Asian country's prime minister from 2001 to 2006 and had been in self-exile abroad since 2008.