Yingluck hit with 10 billion baht rice scandal payout
Court orders ex-PM to pay 10 billion baht rice damages
Former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has been ordered to pay a staggering 10.028 billion baht in damages over her role in the infamous rice pledging scheme, following a dramatic ruling by the Supreme Administrative Court today.
The court overturned a previous lower court decision that had cleared Yingluck of financial liability, instead holding her personally accountable for failing to stop fraudulent government-to-government (G-to-G) rice sales during her tenure. The ruling marks a significant turn in a years-long legal saga surrounding one of Thailand’s most controversial policy failures.
The original demand from the Finance Ministry sought 35.717 billion baht in damages, and the Legal Execution Department had ordered asset seizures from both Yingluck and her husband, Anusorn Amorchat. However, the court quashed both those orders, saying the evidence did not support such a large penalty.
Still, the court ruled that Yingluck must pay half of the 20.057 billion baht in damages caused by the corrupt G-to-G rice deal, landing her with a hefty personal bill of 10.028 billion baht.
“She failed in her duty as Prime Minister and Chair of the National Rice Policy Committee,” the court stated, pointing out that Yingluck only attended one meeting and ignored multiple warnings from the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the State Audit Office.
Her husband, Anusorn, saw partial relief. The court instructed the Legal Execution Department to cancel the asset freeze on property belonging solely to him, acknowledging that post-marriage assets should be divided. Officials now have 60 days to separate his assets from Yingluck’s remaining frozen property, which will be auctioned to cover her compensation, reported The Nation.
Yingluck, who has lived in self-imposed exile since 2017, was represented in court by her lawyer Norawich Lalaeng, who confirmed her side’s legal arguments but had to watch as the tide turned decisively against his client.
The case stems from Yingluck’s controversial rice pledging scheme, which critics slammed for fuelling corruption and driving up national debt. While the court found she wasn’t responsible for general losses from the programme, her failure to act on credible corruption warnings sealed her legal fate.
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