Yingluck impeachment case opens

Thailand's National Legislative Assembly (NLA) on Friday kicked off impeachment proceedings against former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra concerning a rice-pledging scheme, with Yingluck denying all charges in her opening statement.

Wicha Mahakhun, member of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) that filed the impeachment motion, said in his statement that Yingluck had ignored plenty of information on scheme-related corruption and pleas for the scheme to be stopped.

Wicha blamed the scheme, which was suspended after the country' s May 22 coup, for downgraded quality of Thai rice and the loss of the world's top rice exporter crown.

Yingluck's biggest error was ignoring problems of the scheme, thus leading to substantial losses, he said.

Yingluck could not evade responsibility as she was then the prime minister and chairperson of the National Rice Policy Committee, Wicha stressed.

When Yingluck arrived at parliament for the impeachment hearing, she was greeted by a number of supporters who presented her with flowers.

The former premier categorically denied all charges in her opening statement.

Yingluck said she did not ignore corruption, but asked concerned officials to take action.

The scheme was in fact a success as it had helped a large number of farmers and alleviate poverty, she insisted, adding that the rice scheme was a cabinet resolution and the prime minister alone could not stop it.

Her statement was ended with a call for the NLA to give her justice without bias.

The NLA will set up a nine-member panel to pose questions to Yingluck and the NACC. Closing statements are scheduled on Jan. 21, three days after which the NLA will hold a meeting to vote.

If impeached, Yingluck will face a five-year ban from politics and thus be unable to run in the next general election expected in 2016. Endi