First court trial against ex-Thai female PM set May 19

BANGKOK, March 19 (TNA) - The Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions has accepted a case, in which former Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra was charged with dereliction of duty for her failure to stop her previous government's rice-pledging scheme, which caused a 600-billion-baht loss to the state, and for malfeasance under the anti-corruption law, while setting its first hearing of the case on May 19, 2015. The Supreme Court announced the decision on Thursday, as the case is under its jurisdiction, saying that a subpoena and a written copy of charges will be sent to Yingluck within seven days. Meanwhile, public prosecutors assured they have had strong evidence in the lawsuit against Yingluck and insisted that the ex-premier will have to deliver her opening statement by herself before the Supreme Court on May 19. Surasak Srirattrakul, the Office of the Attorney General's Director-General for Interrogation, told journalists that public prosecutors have had 13 witnesses and sufficient evidence for the case and the court will decide whether Yingluck will be released on bail or will be allowed to leave the country. Yingluck did not appear before the court, but writing on her Facebook page to insist on her innocence, saying that the rice-pledging scheme had won people's consent and the legal case would have great impacts on local farmers, the general public, the national economy, domestic politics and future decisions to introduce policies to help people, while urging critics to stop their expressions to avoid any pressure or influence for political gains. Yingluck's lawyer stated that the ex-female premier plans to deliver her opening statement by herself before the Supreme Court on May 19. (TNA)