Thailand's billionaire Shinawatra family is bracing for a series of high-stakes court decisions starting Friday that could test its political resilience, with the prospect of an early election and prolonged trouble for the country's stuttering economy.

Bangkok court clears former Thai prime minister Thaksin of royal insult charge, as daughter Paetongtarn faces removal, intensifying Shinawatra pressure.

Paetongtarn, 39, became Thailand’s youngest prime minister last year. But she was suspended in July over alleged ethical violations after former Cambodian leader Hun Sen leaked a phone call in which she appeared to blame Thailand’s military for escalating border tensions.