Lawyers for Yingluck Shinawatra advocate for a new trial in the rice pledging scandal dispute
Former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's legal team has vowed to fight for her as they submit new evidence, seeking to reopen the controversial rice pledging case. The team asserts that over 100 billion baht in rice sales, transpired after the Supreme Administrative Court's initial ruling demanding Yingluck to pay 10 billion baht compensation, have been overlooked by the court.
Norawit Lalang, Yingluck's appointed lawyer, spoke out after the Supreme Administrative Court revised its verdict, imposing the compensation on Yingluck. He explained that the recent ruling shares some resemblance with the lower court's decision, both tracing their core argument to the Ministry of Finance's Order No. 1351/59. This order had previously held Yingluck accountable for losses amounting to over 178 billion baht in the 2012/13 and 2013/14 rice pledging schemes.
However, the key distinction lies in the Supreme Administrative Court's ruling, which solely attributed Yingluck's liability to corruption during the government-to-government (G2G) rice sales stage. Norawit emphasized that this phase was under operational management, led by the Rice Sales Subcommittee, chaired by the Minister of Commerce at the time. Despite this, the court charged Yingluck for over 10 billion baht in damages related to this stage.
As rice stocks amounted to approximately 18.9 million tons according to the May 2014 coup, Norawit stated that if the government managed to sell this rice at higher prices, the sales revenue might offset Yingluck's liability. He also noted that the current government has sold this rice at about 25 baht per kilogram, producing an estimated 250 billion baht in revenue.
The legal team will discuss whether to file a retrial request within the 90-day limit set by Section 75 of the Administrative Procedure Act. If the court refuses to reopen the case, the matter will be deemed final, but Norawit stipulated that they will "do our best to fight for justice."
It should be noted that rice sales between 2015 and 2019 involved some good-quality rice being downgraded and sold as spoiled rice at lower prices. Overall, more than 200 billion baht worth of rice has been sold.
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When queried about allegations of the Ministry of Commerce selling rice to cover Yingluck's debts, Norawit clarified that private entities were the buyers and that no one would invest money solely to cover debts. He added that the exact value of assets seized and the amount that Yingluck might recover after debt offsets remain unclear. Enforcement procedures, including those overseen by the Ministry of Finance and the Department of Legal Execution, will determine the final outcome.
Finally, Norawit stated that the court ruling would not alter Yingluck's potential return to Thailand or the location of her current residence. He also revealed that Yingluck's brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, had likely been informed of the development via media sources.
- Given the new evidence submitted by Yingluk Shinawatra's legal team, they aim to reopen the controversial rice pledging case, pointing out that over 100 billion baht in rice sales after the initial ruling have been disregarded by the court.
- Norawit Lalang, Yingluk's appointed lawyer, believes the recent Supreme Administrative Court's verdict resembles the lower court's decision, but with a key distinction: the Supreme Court solely attributed Yingluk's liability to corruption during the government-to-government rice sales stage.
- Refuting allegations, Norawit explained that private entities were the buyers when the Ministry of Commerce sold rice, and no one invested money solely to cover debts.
- In light of the court ruling, Norawit asserted that Yingluk's potential return to Thailand or her current residence location would not be affected. He also hinted that Yingluk's brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, had likely been informed of the development via media sources.
- Aside from politics and the legal proceedings involving Yingluk, it is important to note that allegations surfaced regarding rice quality and sales, with over 200 billion baht worth of rice being sold between 2015 and 2019, some of which was downgraded and sold as spoiled rice at lower prices.
- The legal team is considering whether to file a retrial request within the 90-day limit under Section 75 of the Administrative Procedure Act to address the court's decision and seek justice for Yingluk.
