Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong on Wednesday dismissed claims that a new regulation allowing for the detention of inmates outside prison would benefit fugitive former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
The framework regulation, which is recognised in the 2017 Corrections Act, has not yet been adopted because additional operational guidelines and eligibility criteria must first be established, Pol Col Tawee said.
The additional rules should also be publicised to get public feedback before they are published in the Royal Gazette, he added.
Detention outside prison is a possible option for inmates who are seriously ill, pregnant or old, or for those who have been assessed to have a low risk of committing more crimes or who have short sentences remaining.
The regulation is expected to be adopted on an experimental basis after being published in the Royal Gazette. Details should be requested from the head of the Department of Corrections, said the minister.
Prisoners must meet certain requirements and be approved by a screening panel set up by the department.
When asked if this would favour Yingluck, 57, who has been a fugitive since August 2017, Pol Col Tawee said there was no link between the two.
Yingluck was sentenced in absentia to five years in prison by the Supreme Court’s Criminal Case Division for Holders of Political Positions for dereliction of duty in connection with a rice-pledging programme that ran up at least 500 billion baht in losses.
Nipit Intarasombat, a former MP for Phatthalung, said recently that negotiations were under way for Yingluck’s return, as mentioned by her brother, ex-PM Thaksin, the father of current PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
Mr Nipit maintains that the new regulation would allow Yingluck to return without doing any jail time. The government has been at pains to say it is not preparing the way for her return.