Bangkok, February 28:

Deposed Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra returned today from 17 months in exile to face corruption charges, receiving a hero’s welcome from supporters and vowing to restore his reputation following his ouster in a coup.

Police briefly took the 58-year-old billionaire into custody after he arrived at Bangkok’s international airport on a Thai Airways flight from Hong Kong, and brought him before a top court where he was immediately released on bail.

He has pledged to stay out of politics, but his critics don’t believe him and say he already has been exerting influence from behind the scenes.

Just hours after arriving, Finance Minister Surapong Suebwonglee said that government would consult Thaksin, who is legally banned from all political activity for five years, for economic advice.

“We can’t appoint him to any official position, but we’ll ask him for advice on the economy,” Surapong told reporters.“I don’t want to be involved in politics any longer. I want to live peacefully with my family and die in this motherland,” Thaksin told a news conference at a luxury hotel, where he was flanked by family members.

Describing himself as having a ‘sportsmanlike spirit’, he said he did not return to Thailand after the coup in order to allow for healing in the country. But following the recent general election and return to democracy, “I have to come back to restore my reputation and fight for justice.”