Witness testifying in Yingluck's rice-scheme case to start in mid-Jan.
Xinhua, October 29, 2015 Adjust font size:
Thailand's Supreme Court on Thursday decided to arrange 21 hearings for prosecution and defense witnesses to testify in the trial of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra over her government's rice-pledging scheme.
The court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Office decided to have 14 prosecution witnesses testify in five hearings, with the first scheduled on Jan. 15 and the last on March 23, 2016.
Subsequently, 42 defense witnesses will testify in 16 hearings, which will start on April 1 and conclude on Nov. 18, 2016.
The court will decide later whether to have other witnesses provided by the prosecutors and defendant to testify.
Yingluck, who is charged with dereliction of duty and abuse of authority, arrived at the Supreme Court in the morning and was greeted by many supporters waiting outside.
Yingluck has been alleged of failing to stop corruption in the rice program and incurring up to 17 billion U.S. dollars in operational losses. Endit