The Medical Council of Thailand's decision (MCT) to penalise doctors implicated in the so-called "14th floor'' saga -- Thaksin Shinawatra's "privileged" hospital stay in lieu of doing real jail time upon returning to the country -- is likely to send seismic shockwaves through the halls of power and affect some government ministers.
As the former prime minister is widely viewed as the de facto leader of the ruling Pheu Thai Party, now led by his daughter Paetongtarn, the move threatens to undermine the credibility of the government and especially the Ministry of Justice.
The MCT has decided to suspend the licences of two doctors at Police General Hospital (PGH) and issue a warning to one hospital staffer after concluding Thaksin was not critically ill, cited as the reason for him to serve his sentence in a hospital.
The two doctors were punished for providing inaccurate medical information and documents. The duration of their suspension remains unknown and is pending approval from the MCT's special committee under Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin.
The MCT found a lack of evidence showing the ex-premier was in dire straits on his first night in custody when he was transferred to PGH. Moreover, Thaksin did not leave the special ward on the 14th floor until receiving royal clemency six months later.
His condition has long been a contentious issue. Shortly after leaving the hospital, Thaksin appeared to be in good health. This prompted the Supreme Court to launch an inquiry as to whether his sentence was properly served.
The first hearing will begin on June 13.
The ball is now in Mr Somsak's court, as he can veto the resolution in his capacity as committee president. If that happens, attention would redirect back to the MCT, which would require the support of at least two-thirds of its 72-member council to uphold the penalties previously dished out.
But Mr Somsak must know the stakes are high, with his own reputation on the line and people's trust in the rule of law at risk. Even the premier was adamant that her father had been suffering from serious illnesses, so she, too, will be held accountable to some degree.
Most analysts believe this is just the beginning of Thaksin's troubles -- with the court, for example, rejecting his request on Thursday to travel abroad.
Of course, the irregularities in his hospital case also involve other agencies. The Corrections Department and Justice Ministry will have to justify how the rules were bent to put Thaksin in such a favourable position.
But while it stopped short of digging deeply into the case, the MCT deserves credit for calling a spade a spade.
Some analysts noted how the three doctors rank as state officials who are beholden to politicians and are possibly being scapegoated in this case, while their bosses -- or those higher up the chain of command --remain unscathed.
Hopefully, that is not how this case pans out.
The MCT's decision, which has extended the investigation into this mess, gives us some hope that justice may actually be served.