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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto explained the appointment of Thaksin Shinawatra as a member of the advisory board in the management structure of Danantara. According to Prabowo, the former Prime Minister of Thailand has a vast network and experience in the field of economy.
"He has a big network and vast experience. He is willing to help without being paid. Many figures who want to help us (Indonesia) refuse to be paid," said Prabowo, as quoted from YouTube Narasi TV, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. Najwa Shihab as the founder of the channel, has given Tempo permission to quote it.
Prabowo is aware that Thaksin Shinawatra's name has become a hot topic after appearing in the management of Danantara. However, the Chairman of the Gerindra Party seems untroubled by the polemics that target Thaksin's name.
"Thaksin is a political figure who was overthrown. He won the mandate several times and was overthrown. So, there must be a factor, I don't want to be involved in domestic politics," said Prabowo.
Prabowo even mentioned that Thaksin Shinawatra is similar to himself. Because previously, Prabowo was accused of various things, starting from wanting to kill President Soeharto, President Habibie, to President Abdurrahman Wahid alias Gus Dur. "Many cases are similar (to Thaksin), including myself, I was accused of attempting a coup (in the past)," said Prabowo.
Prabowo also mentioned that the management structure of Danantara was formed without his intervention. He ensured that he did not ask any figure to join and manage the investment management body. All the names that are included in the management list are recommendations from the Chief Executive Officer of Danantara, Rosan Perkasa Roeslani.
Rosan officially announced the management structure of Danantara on Monday, March 24th. Thaksin is included in the advisory board along with Raymond Thomas Dalio or Ray Dalio, Helman Sitohang, Jeffrey Sachs, and F. Chapman Taylor.
Thaksin Shinawatra was born in Chiang Mai, Thailand on July 26, 1949. He is a politician and entrepreneur who served as the Prime Minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006. Thaksin is known for his populist policies and their impact on the modernization of the Thai economy.
During Thaksin's tenure, economic growth and improvements in healthcare and education facilities occurred, but he was also embroiled in allegations of corruption and human rights violations. Here are a series of legal cases that have been associated with Thaksin Shinawatra.
1. Shin Corp Stock Case
According to a report from the Bangkok Post, Thaksin Shinawatra was once involved in a case regarding the ownership of shares in his family company, Shin Corp. He was accused of allowing other parties to hold shares in Shin Corporation to profit from a company that received concessions from the state.
However, Thaksin fled during the trial process, causing his case to be postponed. After the organic law regarding criminal procedures for political officials was enacted-allowing the trial to proceed even if the defendant is absent-legal proceedings against him resumed. In this case, Thaksin was found guilty of two charges and sentenced to five years in prison.
2. Exim Bank Loan Case
The Supreme Court of Thailand sentenced Thaksin Shinawatra in absentia to three years in prison for a conflict of interest case related to a loan from Exim Bank. This case involved a 4 billion baht loan to the government of Myanmar in 2004.
In its ruling, the court stated that Thaksin had a conflict of interest by instructing Exim Bank to provide a loan at a lower interest rate to the government of Myanmar. The funds were then used by the government of Myanmar to purchase products from Shin Satellite Plc, a company owned by his family.
These allegations were first made in 2008 by the Asset Scrutiny Committee (ASC), a body established after the 2006 military coup to investigate various cases related to Thaksin's government. The ASC accused that the loan funds were then used by the government of Myanmar to purchase products worth 400 million baht from Shin Satellite.
3. Lottery Scheme Case
Thaksin was sentenced to two years in prison by the Supreme Court of Thailand for illegally launching a two and three digit lottery scheme between 2003 and 2006. He was found guilty by the Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions for violating Article 157 of the Penal Code regarding abuse of power in relation to this case.
The scheme ran from August 1, 2003 to September 16, 2006 when Thaksin was serving as prime minister. He was among 47 defendants in the case, including cabinet ministers and executives of the Government Lottery Office (GLO) at that time. This case caused a state loss of 1.6 billion baht.
4. Abuse of Power
In October 2008, Thaksin was sentenced to two years in prison for a conflict of interest related to the purchase of land by his then-wife, Khunying Potjaman na Pombejra. His wife won a bid to purchase state-owned land in the center of Bangkok in 2003, while Thaksin was still serving as prime minister. Although convicted, Thaksin did not serve his sentence as he fled abroad and avoided punishment for more than a decade.
5. Insulting the King of Thailand
Former Prime Minister of Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra, faced charges of insulting the Thai monarchy. In Thailand, criticism of the monarchy is strictly prohibited under the lese-majeste law.
Thaksin was accused of tarnishing the monarchy in an interview with a South Korean newspaper on May 21, 2015. In the interview, he stated that a secret council supported the 2014 coup that ousted his sister, Yingluck Shinawatra's government.
The police deemed Thaksin's statement in the interview to have violated Article 112 of the Penal Code, known as the lese-majeste law, as well as the Computer Crime Act.
Melynda Dwi Puspita, and Ilona Estherina contributed to the writing of this article.
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