FILE PHOTO: Former Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra leaves the Criminal court after appearing for the hearing of a lese majeste case, also known as a royal insult case in Bangkok, Thailand, August 19, 2024. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo
BANGKOK (Reuters) -Thailand's ruling party, besieged by a faltering economy and a border crisis, faces more uncertainty this week as the Supreme Court begins hearing a case that could lead to jail time for its most influential politician, Thaksin Shinawatra.
The billionaire former premier, and the driving force behind the government of his daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra, skipped prison on his return in 2023 from 15 years of self-exile by serving his detention in hospital, on grounds of ill-health.
