Corrections says Laota’s early release complied with law

The Corrections Department has defended the much-criticised early release of convicted drug kingpin Laota Saenlee, who was sentenced to life imprisonment, insisting that the release was lawful and that his prison term had been reduced through six royal pardons.

In a statement issued today, the department said Laota, 85, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2019, had behaved well throughout his imprisonment and had committed no disciplinary offences. He was subsequently promoted to the top prisoner classification in 2022.

Laota received six royal pardons, with the first two granted in 2020, the third and fourth in 2021, the fifth in 2025 and the sixth in 2026, the department said. His life sentence was initially commuted to 50 years and subsequently reduced in accordance with the provisions of each royal pardon.

As Laota is over 70, he was also eligible for additional sentence reductions under provisions concerning elderly prisoners.

Following the latest royal pardon, his remaining sentence was reduced to eight years, three months and 28 days.

As Laota had been in custody from Oct 11, 2016 to Aug 14 this year, a total of nine years, 10 months and eight days, he had served longer than his reduced sentence and was therefore eligible for release under the law, the department said.

The Corrections Department said it understood public concern over the release, adding that it was ready to review and propose improvements to rules, regulations and laws governing the administration of prison sentences, particularly those concerning prisoners sentenced to death or life imprisonment.

The review would seek to ensure that sentence administration was proportionate to the severity of offences, while taking public safety and the interests of society into account, it said.

The department also insisted that Laota’s sentence had been administered and his release carried out in accordance with the rule of law applicable equally to all prisoners, with no discrimination or personal discretion involved.

The release process had also undergone screening and strict rehabilitation procedures in accordance with established criteria, it said.