Lawyer Winyat revealed that Thaksin Shinawatra is ready to await sentence suspension, maintaining his status as a middle-level final inmate without promotion to good status, and has asked the Attorney General to reconsider the appeal in the Section 112 case, raising questions about a possible deal with the Blue Party.
On 30 December 2025 at Klong Prem Central Prison, Mr. Winyat Chatmontri, personal lawyer for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, gave an interview stating that currently, Thaksin remains a middle-level final inmate and has not yet been promoted to good status. Regarding the possibility that Thaksin will be nominated for promotion from middle to good status by the Klong Prem Central Prison committee to the central committee of the Department of Corrections around April 2026, this means that even though Thaksin will complete six months of custody by March 2026, he might not receive sentence suspension at that time.
Mr. Winyat stated that he understands the correctional process, and Thaksin himself understands that however many months he must remain, to comply with the sentence suspension process and inmates’ rights and benefits, he is ready to follow the prison regulations. They will never pressure officials or misuse authority to cause illegal actions. Therefore, the timing of Thaksin's sentence suspension eligibility, whether after six or eight months, is acceptable as long as the promotion process is completed first.
Regarding the appeal against the Section 112 case after the current Attorney General ordered the appeal, whereas previously the Section 112 case committee of prosecutors voted 8 to 2 not to appeal, Mr. Winyat said he is aware that the appeal is still being processed for delivery, but on Friday, 26 December 2025, he submitted a letter seeking fairness and informed the Attorney General that “Your authority overrules the committee's decision you established, whether by a 7:2 or 8:2 vote. As chairperson, you cannot override or violate the committee’s resolution because once the committee is formed, it has definitive authority. This is not the procedure under the Criminal Procedure Code Section 20, where the Attorney General may exercise authority over cases outside the kingdom. We see this as a separate process. If you intend to use this authority, you should not have formed the committee initially. Once the committee has made a decision, it must be respected. We view this process as improper and incorrect from the start.”
Mr. Winyat added that he has information about where the Attorney General went and whom he met, which raises suspicions. He said he warned the Attorney General in writing on 26 December 2025 to reconsider. Shortly after, news emerged that the Attorney General's daughter registered as a candidate with the Bhumjaithai Party. Thus, the public suspects the Attorney General violated the committee’s resolution and acted on his own authority, while his daughter joined the Bhumjaithai Party, prompting questions about whether there is a deal or if he is acting on someone's request.
Mr. Winyat further revealed that as a directly affected party and Thaksin's lawyer, he believes the Attorney General abused his authority unlawfully and against the committee's resolution. This violates prosecutorial regulations and laws, so he requests an explanation. Politically, it is the daughter’s right to join any party, but this situation invites speculation and interpretation.
Currently, they are awaiting responses from the Attorney General’s office to all requests for copies of documents related to the case, committee resolutions, and the Attorney General’s decisions to review why he ignored or rejected the committee’s resolution, leading to the appeal order. They question whether the Attorney General acted alone and whether his claim that this authority is under Criminal Procedure Code Section 20 pertains to the investigation stage or cases outside the kingdom. If so, why was the committee formed initially? They seek clear answers and warn that if the explanation is unreasonable, they may consider legal actions later, using their evidence to defend or appeal.
At the end, Mr. Winyat revealed that “The latest (second) petition for royal pardon for former Prime Minister Thaksin is still under consideration by the Royal Secretariat, which we cannot interfere with as it is a royal prerogative. As Thai citizens, we must wait patiently.”