Ousted Thai PM proclaims innocence as criminal trial starts

Thailand’s ousted prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra insisted on her innocence on Tuesday, at the start of a trial that could see her jailed for a decade, part of what observers say is a vendetta against her family. It is the latest legal move against Yingluck - sister of fugitive billionaire ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra - whose administration was toppled in a military coup nearly a year ago. A guilty conviction could deliver a hammer blow to the political dominance of her family, but it also risks stirring up their grassroots “Red Shirt” supporters who have remained largely inactive since the military took over.

I am confident that I am innocent and I hope the court will give me justice and allow everything to proceed in accordance with the law.

Ousted prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra

The ousted premier is accused of criminal negligence over a populist rice subsidy scheme, which paid farmers in the rural Shinawatra heartland twice the market rate for their crop. She is not accused of personal corruption but of failing to prevent alleged graft within the programme, which cost Thailand billions of dollars and galvanised protests against her elected government prior to last May’s coup. The charge carries up to 10 years in jail. During the brief hearing, Yingluck spoke only to plead not guilty. The court granted bail on condition that she not leave Thailand without written permission, and the next hearing was scheduled for July 21.

Politics Yingluck