The Supreme Court will rule next month on former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra's petition to withdraw her appeal in a defamation case against three Democrat politicians.
In the appeal, the former prime minister had asked the Supreme Court to uphold the lower courts' ruling as well as to not suspend a jail term given to the trio who were found guilty of making defamatory statements about her on a television programme in 2012.
Sirichok Sopha, Chavanont Intarakomalyasut and Thepthai Senapong were found guilty of defamation in August 2015 and the Court of Appeal upheld a one-year jail term, suspended for two years, for the trio in 2016. Yingluck assigned lawyers to withdraw the appeal after the three former Democrat MPs issued a public apology.
Lawyers Norawich Lhalaeng and Sommai Kusap, submitted the request to end the court battle on behalf of Yingluck, who is living in self-exile abroad.
The former prime minister sued the three in March 2014 for remarks made when they were hosting their Sai Lor Far television programme. The programmes in question were aired on the Democrat-affiliated Bluesky station on Feb 10 and 15, 2012.
The three defendants were alleged to have made comments which implied a sexual relationship between Yingluck and businessmen she met for a private meeting at the Four Seasons Hotel in Bangkok in February 2012.
The lower courts ruled in Yingluck's favour -- the Criminal Court in 2015 and the Appeal Court in 2016.
The Appeal Court upheld the Criminal Court's convictions and sentences of a 50,000-baht fine and one year in jail each. The prison terms were suspended for two years.
However, the three defendants made a U-turn and contacted Yingluck through a third party, saying they wanted to end the legal feud.
The former prime minister agreed on condition they recanted the insinuation and apologised to her in a public post on their Facebook account, which they complied with.
The Supreme Court will rule on the request on Nov 20.