Later is always better than never. The Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions is doing the right thing in deciding to launch an inquiry into claims of improper enforcement of the prison sentence against former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
The top court said on Wednesday it would launch an inquiry to find out whether officials involved strictly enforced the court verdict, or bent the rules to enable the former PM to serve his 180-day jail term on the 14th floor of the Police General Hospital (PGH), by citing his "life-threatening" illnesses as a cause.
The Department of Corrections (DoC) let Thaksin continue receiving treatment at the hospital after the end of the 120-day deadline set for him to return to prison.
In the end, he did not spend any time in jail at all, of course. He was whisked to the PGH right away on the grounds of being seriously ill, hours after he returned to Thailand to serve justice on Aug 22, 2023. His original jail term was commuted from eight years to one year by royal clemency.
The nation has been perplexed ever since. After leaving the PGH in February as a free man, Thaksin submerged himself into politics and travelled vigorously across the country as he helped the Pheu Thai Party's campaigning.
More demoralising was to witness Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong and his predecessor, Somsak Thepsuthin, now at the Health Ministry, along with officials at the Corrections Department and the PGH, unite in stonewalling against public demands for clarification.
Medical staff at the DoC and PGH declined to disclose Thaksin's medical records by citing "Nelson Mandela Rules", a United Nations treaty that protects the rights and privacy of inmates. When activists asked for CCTV to find out what was going on on the 14th floor, they were informed by the PGH that the CCTV cameras there were broken.
The court's decision on Wednesday offers the public hope that all doubts concerning this affair will be cleared up once and for all.
The court will start its inquiry process on June 13. Responsible parties and officials such as the justice minister, Corrections Department head, the Bangkok Remand Prison chief, the PGH director and the ex-PM himself are expected to tell the court what happened. They cannot tap-dance around the questions any more.
The Medical Council of Thailand, meanwhile, which has concluded its own probe into medical staff at PGH and the DoC's hospital concerning Thaksin's treatment, should disclose the results.
The council let the public down on April 10 by indefinitely postponing its release. The investigation will be useful for the court inquiry. Staying silent will not bode well for the council's image, nor is it good for the country.
The court inquiry will be monitored by Thais everywhere, and the outcome could be historic. The public's faith in the justice system has been shattered. The way the inquiry is handled could help the system regain public trust, or it could trigger another crisis of faith. We pray to see justice being done.