BANGKOK, Sept 4 (TNA) – Thai prominent political activist
and ex-media mogul Sondhi Limthongkul has been released from prison after
serving three years and one month for fraud.
Sondhi, who was a key leader of the now-defunct People’s
Alliance for Democracy (PAD), better known as yellow shirt, is granted a royal
pardon on the occasion of the Royal Coronation of His Majesty King Maha
Vajiralongkorn in May, the Department of Corrections announced on Wednesday.
His release came after his fellow yellow-shirt movement
leaders were freed from prison in May.
Sondhi’s delayed release was due to legal interpretation to ensure that
he is qualified for the royal pardon, a statement by the Department of
Corrections explains.
The Department sought advice from the country’s top justices
and the Office of Attorney General who agreed on Sondhi’s qualification, the
statement says.
The 72-year-old founder of Manager Media Group was found
guilty for creating a fraudulent report to guarantee a bank loan in 1997. He was sentenced 20 years in prison in 2016
after a long legal battle.
As a key leader in the anti-Thaksin Shinawatra movement,
Sondhi led street demonstrations against the former premier and successive
governments.(TNA)
