BANGKOK – Thailand’s Supreme Court cleared self-exiled former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra of negligence on March 4, in a boost for an influential family whose party is back in power after a decade in the political wilderness.

Yingluck, who has lived abroad since 2017 to avoid jail over a subsidy scheme that caused billions of dollars in state losses, was cleared of favouring certain firms that received government contracts, in a unanimous decision by the top court.

The ruling comes two weeks after her brother Thaksin Shinawatra, the billionaire figurehead of populist political juggernaut Pheu Thai Party, was freed from hospital detention on parole, six months into a commuted jail sentence for abuse of power and conflicts of interest.

Handling a complaint filed by Thailand’s anti-graft commission under a military-backed government, the court in a statement said Yingluck and other defendants had followed regulations in awarding 250 million baht (S$9.4 million) of government contracts.

The commission has 30 days to appeal.

Like Mr Thaksin, Yingluck fled into exile to avoid prison after her government was ousted in a 2014 coup, a key milestone during two decades of political conflict pitting the Shinawatra family and its allies against a network of conservatives, elite families and generals whose interests were challenged by its rise.

Mr Thaksin had spent 15 years abroad after fleeing in the wake of his 2006 overthrow but made a dramatic return last August to face justice.

He was transferred to a hospital on his first night in jail and, soon after, his eight-year term was commuted to one year by the king.

His return and early release have fuelled persistent rumours that the tycoon made a behind-the-scenes deal with his powerful enemies, claims that his allies and rivals have denied.

The clearing of Yingluck in the last remaining case against her could add to media speculation that she, too, will seek to return to Thailand.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, a close ally of the Shinawatras, has said the issue has not been raised.

Coverage of Mr Thaksin’s release has been dominated by expectations that he will seek to exert influence on Mr Srettha’s government, or through his daughter Paetongtarn, who is Pheu Thai’s leader and eligible to become prime minister.

Mr Srettha has repeatedly been asked by the media if he would remain in charge with Mr Thaksin now freed, questions he has rebuffed, insisting that he is still calling the shots in government.

Mr Thaksin has insisted he is retired, and he has been suffering from various health problems.

An opinion poll released on March 3 by the National Institute of Development Administration showed that 43 per cent of the 1,310 respondents considered Mr Thaksin Thailand’s most influential political figure, compared with 22 per cent for Mr Srettha. REUTERS