A court of appeals today upheld the 20-year sentence for a media mogul and Yellow Shirt founder-turned anti-corruption crusader.
The court upheld a lower court’s ruling from two years ago which found Sondhi Limthongkul and two former directors of his Manager Media Group guilty of falsifying loan documents.
One of Thailand’s most controversial political figures, Sondhi has swapped loyalties over the years and wounding by an assassin’s gunfire. He’s also avoided jail despite several convictions.
The current case before the court today stretches back two decades, and Sondhi was first indicted 14 years ago. After being found guilty in 2012, he was released on bail and avoided jail time. Last October, Sondhi was given a two-year sentence for insulting the monarchy. Sondhi was released on bail and avoided jail time. Sondhi is very wealthy.
Sondhi, once a Thaksin Shinawatra ally, organized the Yellow Shirts in protests which triggered the 2006 coup that toppled Thaksin, kicking off nearly a decade of political turmoil.
Sondhi was denied bail in court today and will spend at least one night in jail before further requests are made.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
