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Former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has been found guilty of criminal negligence and sentenced in absentia to five years in prison.

The Supreme Court convicted her of mishandling a rice subsidy scheme which allegedly cost Thailand at least $8bn.

Ousted in 2014, weeks before a military coup, and later impeached, Ms Yingluck denies all charges and fled before the verdict, reportedly to Dubai.

Public opinion is divided. She remains popular with rural and poor voters.

The Supreme Court judges said Ms Yingluck had been aware of the falsified rice deals but did nothing to stop it.

"The accused knew that the government-to-government rice contract was unlawful but did not prevent it," the court said in a statement.

"Which is a manner of seeking unlawful gains. Therefore, the action of the accused is considered negligence of duty," it said.

During her trial, Ms Yingluck had argued she was not responsible for the day-to-day running of the scheme and insisted she was a victim of political persecution.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Throughout the trial, Ms Yingluck still had many supporters

The BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok says "the verdict sets an awkward precedent, criminalising a prime minister for a policy, which was a central part of her election manifesto".

"There has been no suggestion that she was herself involved in any corruption," he explains.

What was the rice scheme?

Part of Ms Yingluck's election campaign, it was launched after she took office in 2011.

To alleviate rural poverty, the government paid rural farmers nearly twice the market rate.

The scheme hit Thailand's rice exports, leading to an estimated loss the military government says was at least $8bn.

Though popular with her rural voter base, the scheme was too expensive and open to corruption, her opponents said.

Where is she now?

Ms Yingluck is thought to be in Dubai where her brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, lives in self-imposed exile avoiding a 2008 sentence for corruption.

Ms Yingluck entered politics only after his sentence and was seen by critics as a proxy for her ousted brother.

Both siblings remain popular among Thailand's rural poor, but are opposed by an urban and middle-class elite.

She is unlikely to serve any of her sentence because she is out of the country.

The trial ran over two years, with a ruling initially scheduled for late August. When Ms Yingluck surprisingly failed to show up in court, the verdict was postponed and an arrest warrant was issued for her.

Timeline of the controversy

May 2011- Yingluck Shinawatra is elected PM, and shortly afterwards begins rolling out her rice subsidy scheme

January 2014 - Thailand's anti-corruption authorities investigate Ms Yingluck in connection to the scheme

May 2014 - She is forced to step down from her post after Thailand's constitutional court finds her guilty of abuse of power in another case. Weeks later the military ousts what remains of her government

January 2015 - An army-backed legislature impeaches Ms Yingluck for corruption over her role in the rice scheme, which effectively bans her from politics for five years. It also launches legal proceedings against her

August 2017 - Ms Yingluck fails to appear at court for the verdict, claiming ill health. It is later thought she left for Dubai</s>Former Thai prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra Sentenced To Five Years In Prison

Thailand’s Supreme Court on Wednesday, sentenced former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, in absentia to five years in prison for negligence over mismanaging a rice subsidy scheme.

The politician was convicted of negligence in preventing corruption and irregularities in her government’s rice-pledging scheme prior to the 2014 coup.

The Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders ruled that Yingluck had acknowledged the illegality of government-to-government rice deals but refused to cancel a contract with a Chinese state enterprise.

The court ruled that the deal involved ill-gotten gains and the dishonest discharge of official duties.

The court will issue another arrest warrant against Yingluck, after an initial warrant was issued when she failed to appear before the court on August 25, when the verdict was originally scheduled to be read.

The nine-judge panel started reading the verdict at 11.15am and finished at 3pm.

Yingluck has not attended court hearings, and it is believed that she has been in hiding overseas for a month.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha told reporters before the verdict that he knew where Yingluck was but would not give more details.</s>BANGKOK (AP) — Thai court sentences former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in absentia to 5 years in prison for alleged negligence.</s>Ousted former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra arrives at the criminal court in Bangkok, Thailand, September 29, 2015. Source: Reuters/Chaiwat Subprasom/File Picture

THAILAND’S Supreme Court has sentenced former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra to five years jail after finding her guilty of negligence in a trial brought by the junta that overthrew her.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the nine judges were still delivering the verdict on Wednesday when news of the sentence leaked to Thai media.

Yingluck dramatically fled the country a month ago after failing to show up at court for the verdict. She was rumoured to be in Cambodia, however, Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen has denied those rumours. Three senior policemen have been investigated but not charged for allegedly helping her escape in a car with counterfeit plates.

SEE ALSO: Thailand: Ex-PM Yingluck has fled abroad, say sources



Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who overthrew Yingluck in a 2014 coup, said on Tuesday that he knows where the ousted former prime minister is but refused to disclose her location until after a verdict was delivered.

Reuters has reported she is living in Dubai with her elder brother Thaksin Shinawatra, a former prime minister toppled in a 2006 coup, who lives in exile to avoid a jail sentence on corruption charges.

Yingluck, who pleaded not guilty in the case, was found guilty of negligence for the mismanagement of a rice subsidy scheme that saw Yingluck’s government buy rice from farmers at above-market prices in an attempt to manipulate the global grain market.

SEE ALSO: Thailand: Arrest warrant issued for ex-PM Yingluck after no-show in court



The program collapsed as neighbouring countries increased production and stockpiles of rice rotted in Thai warehouses. The military claims it caused US$8 billion in losses.

The verdict has the potential to reignite tensions between the ruling military junta and those who still support the Shinawatra family. However, only 50 members of Yingluck’s so-called “red shirt movement” showed up outside the court on Wednesday, a dramatic drop in numbers from previous hearings.

Prayuth has urged Thais to remain calm over the case that has essentially ended the political dominance of the Shinawatra family, whose movement won the last five general elections, making it the most dominant force in Thai politics for more than a decade.</s>Thailand’s former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra was sentenced in absentia Wednesday to five years in prison by the Supreme Court after it found her guilty of negligence of duty for mishandling a rice subsidy project that caused massive losses.

Yingluck is believed to have fled the country ahead of the verdict day that was originally scheduled last month. An arrest warrant has been issued for her, with Thai police seeking assistance from Interpol.

In its ruling, the court said Yingluck, who oversaw the rice subsidy policy in her administration, failed to stop falsified government-to-government sales of rice despite warnings from relevant state and independent agencies.

Yingluck’s co-defendant, former Commerce Minister Boonsong Teriyapirom, was last month sentenced to 42 years in jail by the court.

Yingluck’s lawyer, Norawit Lalaeng, told reporters that her legal team will study the full verdict before making a decision on whether to appeal. However, Norawit admitted he has yet to reach Yingluck since Aug. 25 and still did not know where she is.

Police Chief Chakthip Chaijinda said efforts will continue to bring Yingluck back to face justice even though her whereabouts remain unknown.

Fewer supporters showed up at the court to hear the verdict than the initial court date last month. Most said the ruling was expected and that it was fortunate she had fled the country.

The younger sister of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted in May 2014 by the Constitutional Court over an abuse-of-power case, just two weeks ahead of a coup against her political party’s successor government. The military has remained in power since then.

During the trial, she denied charges of criminal negligence in connection with her government’s rice-pledging scheme.

The scheme, which was her administration’s flagship policy, resulted in losses of some 500 billion baht (about $15 billion) to state coffers.

Her failure to appear in court on Aug. 25 prompted the postponement of the verdict until Wednesday.

Confirmed reports previously indicated Yingluck, who became Thailand’s first female prime minister in 2011, had fled the country to Dubai, where her older brother, who was ousted as prime minister in a previous military coup in 2006, resides.

Thaksin’s daughters this week showed photos of him in London, but it was unclear if Yingluck was with them there.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha, who as army chief in 2014 overthrew the civilian government led by the pro-Thaksin Pheu Thai Party, claimed Tuesday to know Yingluck’s whereabouts. But he said he would only inform the public after the ruling.</s>BANGKOK: Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha said on Thursday (Sep 28) former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is currently in the United Arab Emirates.

"She is in Dubai," Prayuth told reporters, adding that the Thai foreign ministry has been tracking Yingluck's whereabouts.

"The police will now have to proceed and coordinate with the Foreign Ministry and Interpol," the Prime Minister said.

Thailand's Supreme Court convicted and sentenced former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra in absentia to five years in prison on Wednesday for mismanaging a rice subsidy scheme.

Aides said she had fled Thailand, fearing a harsh sentence. Last month, Reuters reported that she had escaped to Dubai, where her brother, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, owns a home.</s>BANGKOK—A Thai court sentenced former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in absentia to five years in prison for alleged negligence to do with a botched rice-subsidy program.

Ms. Yingluck was believed to have fled the country last month before the court was to have initially delivered its verdict.

Her government was overthrown in a...</s>Thailand's former prime minister has been sentenced to five years in jail for alleged negligence in a money-losing rice subsidy programme.

Yingluck Shinawatra - whose government was ousted in a 2014 military coup - said the charges are politically motivated and is believed to have fled the country last month.

Ms Yingluck was sentenced in absentia and her lawyers said they have no idea where she is.

The 50-year-old has argued that she is being persecuted as part of an effort to dismantle the political machine of her brother, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a telecommunications tycoon.

Mr Thaksin was also toppled from power by a military coup in 2006 after being accused of abuse of power, corruption and disrespect for the country's monarchy.

He is living in self-imposed exile to avoid serving a prison term for what he calls a politically motivated 2008 conviction on a conflict of interest charge.</s>Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha says his predecessor, Yingluck Shinawatra, is in Dubai.

The prime minister revealed Yingluck’s whereabouts Thursday during a meeting with journalists, citing a report from the foreign ministry of her movements. Her brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, has lived in exile in Dubai since he was overthrown in a 2006 military coup.

Yingluck was convicted by Thailand’s Supreme Court Wednesday on charges of negligence in connection with a botched rice-buying scheme and sentenced in absentia to five years in prison. The verdict was initially to be issued last month, but Yingluck failed to appear for the hearing.

The government lost more than $1 billion in the scheme, which bought rice at above-market prices from poor farmers and aimed to resell it later at a higher price.

Yingluck has denied the charges, claiming they were politically motivated.

Yingluck was overthrown in 2014 in a military coup led by Prime Minister Prayuth, who was then the commander in chief of the Royal Thai Army. The coup capped a decade-long period of political turmoil that began when her brother was forced out of office in 2006 by the military, which backed Thailand’s Bangkok-based royalist-leaning, wealthy elite.</s>Thailand’s supreme court has found the former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra guilty of negligence and sentenced her to five years in prison, a verdict delivered in absentia a month after she fled the country.



Yingluck, whose elected government was overthrown in 2014 by the army generals who still control the kingdom, had denied allegations relating to a mishandled and costly rice subsidy scheme.

The verdict was due to be delivered on 25 August but Yingluck shocked the nation, and thousands of supporters who had gathered at the court, by failing to show up.

Her lawyer cited an ear problem as the reason for her no-show. However, the court rejected the excuse and delayed the verdict, later issuing an arrest warrant. The junta chief, Prayuth Chan-ocha, ordered border checks to be increased.

Yingluck’s exact whereabouts are unknown, although senior sources in her opposition Puea Thai party said she fled to Cambodia and flew via Singapore to Dubai. She has made no public comments since she left Thailand.

Stories of her escape, possibly assisted by several police officers, have entranced the country. Some believe she may be in London, where her family owns a residence.

Authorities are conducting DNA sampling from a Toyota Camry with fake number plates that she allegedly escaped in, with results due in a month’s time. Investigators believe that at least two cars, both a similar colour, were used in the getaway. One car was as a decoy, they say.

Three senior police officers have been detained for questioning, including a police colonel who worked in eastern Thailand.

On the eve of the verdict on Wednesday, Prayuth said he knew where Yingluck had fled to, but would not reveal the location until after the judgment was delivered.

“I know, but I won’t say yet,” he told reporters after a weekly cabinet meeting. “I’ll tell you where she is after 27 September. I have spies.”

Many people suspect military leaders cut a deal with Yingluck. While the politician can avoid jail time by being abroad, her departure also leaves the country without its most prominent opposition figure, handing power-hungry generals a headless opposition. The junta has repeatedly delayed elections and sought to stamp out dissent.

Coup leaders may also have wanted to avoid putting Yingluck behind bars, a situation that could have led to a resurgence of anger from her poor, rural base.

Paul Chambers, an expert on Thai politics, said: “By getting Yingluck out of Thailand, the military gets rid of a potential thorn in their side who could become a martyr if jailed, or a powerful politician again if she is not.”

The Shinawatra family is a hugely influential political dynasty, winning every election it has taken part in since 2001, but is hated by many in the royalist and military elite in Bangkok. Yingluck’s billionaire brother, the former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, lives in self-imposed exile to avoid a 2008 prison sentence for corruption.

The rice subsidy scheme, which paid farmers nearly twice the market rate for their crop, was seen by Yingluck’s foes as handing billions of dollars to her voter base as well as creating unsold mountains of rotten rice. Losses amounted to more than £6bn, according to the government.

Prosecutors alleged that the expensive rice programme was susceptible to corruption, although Yingluck is not accused of graft.

The fallout of the scandal led to violent street protests in 2013-14 that eventually overthrew Yingluck’s administration. The former leader, whose supporters called themselves the redshirts, has said she is the victim of “a subtle political game”.

A military-backed legislature found Yingluck guilty in a separate impeachment case in 2015, and banned her from politics for five years.
Former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is sentenced to five years in prison in absentia.