Yingluck indicted on rice-pledging scheme

Thailand's Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra gives a traditional greeting as she addresses reporters in Bangkok May 7, 2014. A Thai court found Yingluck guilty of violating the constitution on Wednesday and said she had to step down, throwing the country into further political turmoil, although ministers not implicated in her case can remain in office. [Photo/Agencies]

BANGKOK - Thailand's National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) on Thursday announced the indictment of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on charges of dereliction of duty in overseeing a controversial rice-pledging scheme.

The NACC members unanimously ruled that Yingluck had failed to fight alleged corruption pertaining to the government program supposedly aimed to subsidize rice farmers nationwide since the last few years, announced NACC chief Panthep Klanarongran.

Given such duty-negligence charges, the anti-graft agency is seeking impeachment of the deposed premier by the Senate. The case is expected to go to the Senate next week, said Panthep.

Yingluck, who had earlier argued that she had taken measures to fight the alleged misconduct among working-level government officials and rice dealers involved in the purchases and distributions of rice under the government program, could possibly be deposed in retroactive fashion and banned from politics for a five-years period if finally found guilty as charged by the upper house.

Such impeachment will need a minimum of three-fifths of all senators to endorse in accordance with the constitution.