Follow
Hundreds of people gathered around Bangkok’s Supreme Court on Friday to encourage former Thai Prime Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra. The personality was scheduled to show up before the judge to hear the verdict on a case of negligence against her. However, the defendant failed to appear claiming poor health. As a consequence, authorities saw themselves forced to issue an arrest warrant for her.
Authorities Considered Yingluck Shinawatra’s Rice Subsidy Program a Concerning Act of Negligence that Caused Financial Issues
The 2015 trial against Yingluck Shinawatra on allegations of corruption and power abuse grew strong roots within political and social areas of the Southeast Asian country. Friday’s final verdict might have had the power to throw the kingdom stability into an ugly division.
Therefore, the metropolitan police announced that there were 4,000 officers on the scene ready to face the crowd’s reaction to the outcome of the lawsuit. It all started with Yingluck administration’s prime policy, namely the rice subsidy program.
The government started purchasing farmers’ crops at 50% higher prices than the market dictated. As a consequence, Thailand ended up with huge stockpiles of rice while the budget suffered $8 billion worth of losses. The court found her guilty of power abuse in another case in 2014 and forced her to step down as the PM of Thailand.
Former PM Can Avoid the Arrest Warrant If She Is Found Guilty
In January 2015, Ms. Yingluck Shinawatra got impeached for her acts of corruption during the rice subsidy program. As a consequence, she cannot activate within politics for five years. This is also the moment when her controversial lawsuit starts.
The national turmoil was likely to take a different turn on Friday with the issuing of the verdict. However, Yingluck Shinawatra didn’t appear before the court blaming illness. This event urged authorities to release an arrest warrant for her. If law agents find Yingluck guilty, she can submit bail and avoid jail time. On top of that, she has 30 days at her disposal to appeal the decision.
Image source: 1
