Thailand's former Prime Minister Thaksin is in trouble again after being accused of royal defamation.

BANGKOK (AP) — Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra He was charged and sentenced on Tuesday for defaming the country's monarchy in a series of court cases that have roiled Thai politics. He was granted bail.

Thaksin is the unofficial force behind the party that leads Pheu Thai, the government despite being ousted from power in a coup 18 years ago.

He reported himself to prosecutors Tuesday morning and has been charged, Attorney General's Office spokesman Prayuth Bejraguna said at a news conference.

Thaksin, 74, voluntarily returned to Thailand last year from self-imposed exile and served virtually all of his sentence on corruption-related charges in a hospital instead of prison. Based on treatment. he was Released on parole In February

Since then, Thaksin has maintained a high profile by touring the country Creating a public presence and political observations that could upset the powerful conservative establishment behind his 2006 ouster.

His removal from power triggered deep political polarization in Thailand. Thaksin's opponents, usually staunch royalists, accused him of corruption, abuse of power and disrespecting then-king Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in 2016.

Prosecution of the Les Majeste case a long time ago Some analysts see this as a warning from Thaksin's enemies to curtail his political activities.

Thaksin's lawyer Winat Chatmontry told reporters that Thaksin is ready to enter the judicial process. The criminal court, where Thaksin was sentenced after being charged, said Thaksin was granted bail with a 500,000 baht ($13,000) bond on the condition that he cannot leave Thailand unless the court approves it. His passport has been confiscated.

The law on defamation of the monarchy, a crime known as les majestes, is punishable by three to 15 years in prison. It is one of the harshest laws worldwide and is increasingly used in Thailand to punish critics of the government.

Winyat said his client “is not worried, and he has always maintained that he has done nothing wrong. He has come here with full confidence to fight his case.”

Thaksin was indicted in 2016 for comments he made to reporters in South Korea a year earlier. The case was not prosecuted at the time because he went into exile in 2008 to avoid prosecution for what he called political cases.

His case is one of several that have complicated Thai politics since the Pheu Thai government took over after the Senate – a conservative, military-appointed body – Blocked successfully progressive go ahead The party that won the most votes since coming to power last year.

Move Forward is now facing extinction The Election Commission has asked the Constitutional Court to rule on whether it is guilty of trying to overthrow the constitutional monarchy by campaigning to amend the Les Majeste Act.

Meanwhile Prime Minister Sretha Thavisin, who hails from Pheu Thai He is being investigated for appointing cabinet members Those who were in jail for bribery. If convicted, Sretha could be forcibly removed from her position.

Thailand's courts, particularly the Constitutional Court, are considered custodians of royal institutions, which have used them and nominally independent state bodies such as the Election Commission to cripple political opponents.

The Constitutional Court held procedural hearings on both Move Forward and Srether on Tuesday, setting further proceedings for July 3 in the former case and July 10 in the latter.

The court also ruled on Tuesday that the regulations have been partially completed, in three-phases Voting process to elect a new Senate is legal

The term of the current Senate, appointed by the junta that overthrew the previous Pheu Thai government in 2014, expired last month, opening up an opportunity to further democratize its membership.

Forty members of the interim Senate were behind the petition against Sretha, a move seen as favoring a pro-military political party in the coalition government.

The situation is a stark reminder of the challenges Pheu Thai faces Forming alliances with his old enemies, said Nepon Jatusripitak, a political science researcher and visiting fellow at the ISEAS-Yusuf Ishak Institute in Singapore. He said it “reflects a very lopsided balance of power between elected and unelected forces in Thailand.”

“Thai democracy has once again been held hostage by forces unaccountable to the public interest,” he said.

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