A Bangkok court has acquitted former Thai Prime Minister, billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra, of charges related to "insulting the monarchy" of Thailand. The court stated there was insufficient evidence to prove the offense. The charges against him were filed in 2016 following an interview he gave to a South Korean newspaper, in which he claimed that the military coup that took place in the country in 2014 received "encouragement from some people in the palace." If convicted, Shinawatra could have faced up to 15 years in prison.