The Ministry of Justice has denied that a rule allowing prisoners to be released on parole and detained in their houses was made for the benefit of any individual, especially former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
Somboon Muangklam, an adviser to Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong and Department of Corrections (DoC) officials, gave an interview on Friday about the DoC's regulation regarding out-of-prison detention.
Mr Somboon said such a regulation was not designed to favour any particular person.
He said the announcement to allow the DoC to detain inmates outside of prison was issued in 2023, aiming to alleviate prison overcrowding. He said initial guidelines for its implementation followed the announcement.
When asked whether Yingluck, a fugitive since August 2017, would be eligible under these regulations, Mr Somboon said he could not answer as the guidelines were still preliminary and had not been finalised officially.
He said that commenting on specific cases was premature, as future decisions must wait until the official regulations are announced.
Regarding speculation about the regulation's readiness by the first quarter of next year, which coincides with former premier Thaksin Shinawatra earlier saying his sister might return around the Songkran Festival, he said it was possible.
However, Mr Somboon could not tell when Yingluck would return, only saying, "[The process of finalising the regulations] is nearly finished."
He also acknowledged public concerns over whether Yingluck might avoid imprisonment like her brother, Thaksin. In response, he said Thaksin was incarcerated while serving time in the Police General Hospital, which is legally recognised as detention.
He said all officials are accountable for their actions, adding that an ongoing investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) into the Thaksin case would determine if there were any irregularities.
Meanwhile, DoC spokeswoman Kanokwan Jiewcheauphan said public opinions on the regulation are being heard until Dec 17.
If 90% of the public expresses disagreement, then revisions will be necessary, she said.