Thai impeachment trial could reignite flames of controversy
BANGKOK -- Former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's impeachment trial over costly rice subsidies kicked off Friday, with the ultimate verdict sure to trigger sharp reactions and possibly destroy the fragile stability now maintained through martial law.
The National Legislative Assembly summoned both Yingluck and the National Anti-Corruption Commission that day. She entered the building at 9 a.m. with key members of her cabinet and lawyers, and told reporters she was ready to explain everything.
The subsidy program was introduced right after Yingluck took office in August 2011. The government purchased rice for roughly 50% above the market price in an attempt to raise the incomes of rural farmers, the main support base for Yingluck and brother Thaksin Shinawatra.
The government ended up with massive losses from footing the difference until the program was abolished after the May 2014 coup. It also suffered from a buildup of storage costs for leftover rice. The policy cost the government 518 billion baht ($15.7 billion), according to the Ministry of Finance.
A military-led investigation also revealed that a portion of the rice stockpiled in the 1,800 official facilities was missing or had been switched out for lower-quality varieties.
The NACC and the Auditor General's Office had both warned Yingluck during her term that the program would lose money for the country. The anti-corruption agency launched investigations into negligence and abuse of power, claiming that the former prime minister ignored these warnings. It called on the then-upper house in early May to begin impeachment proceedings.
The military coup abolished the upper house but created the National Legislative Assembly in August to replace its functions, and the NACC had since continued pushing for Yingluck's impeachment.
NACC spokesperson Wicha Mahakhun said at Friday's session that Yingluck had plenty of information from the anti-corruption agency and the Auditor General's Office but failed to end the policy and allowed the harm to spread.
In her hourlong statement, Yingluck denied any responsibility.
"I have no position left to be removed from," she said. Yingluck also stressed that the prime minister cannot suspend government policies already announced.
She then criticized the NACC investigation as rushed and unfair. Yingluck asked how the country could be reformed without fair legal procedures.
The legislative assembly will call on witnesses again and could hand down its verdict by the end of the month. Conviction will require support from three-fifths of the 220-member assembly.
Yingluck is no longer prime minister. But if found guilty, she would be barred from public office for five years and unable to run in the next election, expected in early 2016. This could deal a severe blow to the pro-Thaksin camp, which hopes to take back control of the government through the still-popular former leader.
The NACC lodged criminal charges against Yingluck in July 2014 as well, but a lack of evidence has kept prosecutors from indicting her so far. These charges could further impact the assembly's decision.
The proceedings will serve as a barometer of what the conservatives really think about the elected officials and political parties, says associate professor Somchai Preechasinlapakun of Chiang Mai University. He believes an impeachment is unlikely if assembly members vote their consciences.
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