BY TAN HUI YEE THAILAND CORRESPONDENT IN BANGKOK
Former Thai Premier Yingluck Shinawatra could be impeached and banned from politics for five years, after the country's anti- graft agency ruled that she was negligent in a controversial government rice-buying scheme.
Yesterday's indictment, which came a day after she and nine caretaker ministers were forced out of office by the Constitutional Court for abuse of power, has emboldened and enraged supporters on both sides of the political struggle. This raises fears of a confrontation as rival groups hold mass rallies in Bangkok from today.
Meanwhile, the National Anti- Corruption Commission is also looking into the possibility of filing criminal charges against Ms Yingluck, which could result in her facing jail time.
Yesterday's verdict centred on a three-year-old rice purchase scheme under which the government bought rice from farmers at about 50 per cent above the market price to boost their incomes. The scheme was a key campaign pledge of Ms Yingluck's Puea Thai party in the 2011 elections, which it won by a landslide.
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