Rice-pledging scheme case starts badly for Yingluck

Yingluck has been charged with negligence in her oversight of the scheme and could face up to 10 years in jail if found guilty of dereliction of duty.

The former premier appeared at the court and asked that it suspend the trial on the grounds that the rice-pledging scheme case must be tried by the Administrative Court not the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders.

She also opposed the prosecutors’ move to question an additional 23 witnesses.

Supreme Court deputy president Veerapol Tungsuwan, the presiding judge, led eight other judges to examine evidence for the case, in which Attorney General Trakul Winitnaiyapak accused Yingluck of violating Article 157 of the Criminal Code and the National Anti-Corruption Act for refusing to abandon the scheme when huge rice stockpiles and debt piled up.

The judges ruled against Yingluck’s request to transfer the case to the Administrative Court on grounds that the plaintiff accused the defendants on criminal charges and the Administrative Court does not have authority to hear criminal cases.

The court also rejected Yingluck’s petition against the prosecutors adding 23 witnesses and submitting additional documents as evidence. She claimed the move was illegitimate and unfair since she and her legal team had not seen them before.

The judges ruled against her request, reasoning that although the court has to follow the writ filed by the National Anti-Corruption Commission it also has the right to seek truth by summoning more witness and evidence. The defendants have the right to counter the plaintiff’s evidence, they said.