BANGKOK: The National Anti-Corruption Commission in Thailand on Thursday indicted the ousted Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on charges of dereliction of duty in overseeing a widely criticized rice subsidy program.
The move comes a day after the country’s constitutional court removed Yingluck from office on charges of power abuse.
Yingluck was accused of allowing the rice program, a flagship policy of her administration, to proceed despite advice that it was potentially wasteful and prone to corruption.
The government has lost billions of dollars on the subsidy plan, which also cost Thailand its position as the world’s leading rice exporter as the government stockpiled the commodity.
The ousted prime minister now faces an impeachment vote by the Senate. If impeached and found guilty, she would be barred from politics for five years.
