Thailand’s Supreme Court on Wednesday sentenced its former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in absentia to five years in prison over mismanaging a rice subsidy scheme that cost the country billions of dollars.
The court said Yingluck was aware of her brother’s plans to loot government money by government-to-government rice deals but did nothing to stop it.
“The accused knew that the government-to-government rice contract was unlawful but did not prevent it …,” the Supreme Court said in a statement.
“This is a manner of seeking unlawful gains. Therefore, the action of the accused is considered negligence of duty,” it said.
Nine judges voted unanimously to find Yingluck guilty in verdict reading that took four hours, and a warrant was issued for her arrest.
