Thai Court Orders Ex-PM Yingluck to Pay $305 Million in Rice Scheme Damages
In a ruling delivered on Thursday, a Thai court has ordered former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, currently in self-exile, to pay 10 billion baht ($305 million) in damages. The case relates to a controversial rice pledging scheme that led to her initial sentencing in 2017 to five years in prison for negligence.
Yingluck, a member of the influential Shinawatra family, which has seen four of its members serve as prime minister, has been living abroad to avoid imprisonment. Her conviction stems from her failure to prevent corruption within the rice scheme, which offered farmers payments up to 50% above market prices, resulting in significant losses for the Thai state.
The rice program, a key policy of Yingluck's Pheu Thai party, incurred billions of dollars in costs and left millions of tons of rice unsold. Thailand is a major global rice exporter, holding the position of the world's second-largest.
The court's decision on Thursday addressed Yingluck's appeal against a previous order that demanded she pay 35 billion baht ($1.07 billion) in damages to the finance ministry.
The Supreme Administrative Court stated, "The accused performed duties with gross negligence that caused damage to the state and therefore must pay compensation." However, the court also noted that the initial order exceeded the legal limits of her responsibility and was therefore unlawful.
Yingluck, who assumed office in 2011 following a landslide election victory, was removed from power just before a coup in 2014. She is the aunt of current Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and the younger sister of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
The verdict comes nearly two years after the Pheu Thai party's return to power, after a decade in the political opposition. This period also saw Thaksin Shinawatra return home after 15 years in self-imposed exile.
The Shinawatra family has consistently denied any wrongdoing, claiming they have been targeted by political vendettas orchestrated by powerful figures within the conservative establishment and royalist military.
Following the ruling, Yingluck expressed her belief that the 10 billion baht fine was excessive.
"Even if I repaid it my entire life, it would never be enough," she stated on social media, adding, "I will continue to demand and fight for justice."
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