Thai Court Finds Yingluck Guilty, Hands Down Five-Year Jail Sentence

By Mohd Haikal Mohd Isa BANGKOK, Sept 27 (Bernama) -- Thailand’s Supreme Court Wednesday found former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra guilty in absentia for negligence in the controversial rice-pledging scheme and sentenced her to five years in jail. A total of nine judges of the court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions announced the long-awaited judgement. The younger sister of exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra did not attend Wednesday's court verdict. Her whereabouts remain a mystery since her failure to appear at a similar court proceeding last month. Due to her no-show last month, the court postponed the verdict to Wednesday. The government alleged that the rice-pledging scheme which was implemented during Yingluck's administration had caused the state to suffer massive financial losses, a charge the former prime minister had consistently denied throughout her two-year trial. Yingluck became Thailand's first female prime minister in 2011 after winning the general election. She was ousted by the military in May 2014. -- BERNAMA