Criminal charge recommended against ousted Thai PM
Ousted Thailand Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. AP FILE PHOTO
BANGKOK — An anti-corruption body has recommended criminal charges against an ousted Thai prime minister over her government’s rice subsidy program.
The commission had already ruled that Yingluck Shinawatra was liable for impeachment because her government’s rice policy was prone to corruption and lost money.
National Anti-Corruption Commissioner Vicha Mahakun said Thursday it found Yingluck committed dereliction of duty for failing to stop the program.
Vicha says the commission will forward the case to prosecutors for indictment by the country’s supreme court for politicians.
A court ousted Yingluck in May over alleged abuse of power, and the military staged a coup later that month.
The rice subsidy program helped Yingluck’s government win the votes of millions of farmers in 2011 but accumulated losses of at least $4.4 billion.
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