Thailand's former foreign minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul was sentenced on Tuesday to two years in prison for unduly granting a passport to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra several years ago.

The court judges in charge of criminal lawsuits against politicians ruled Surapong, who served as foreign minister in the time of former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, guilty of the National Anti-Corruption Act and the law on duty negligence by issuing the Thai passport to Thaksin who had been allegedly involved in charges, and gave him a two-year jail term without suspension.

However, since the former politician planned to appeal, the court later granted him parole under with a 5-million-baht bail (about 160,000 U.S. dollars) on condition that he will not leave Thailand unless otherwise allowed by the court.