BANGKOK, Jan 16 — Former Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra has appointed her ousted ministers who were involved in the controversial rice-pledging scheme to give statements in defending her before an inquiry committee set up by the National Legislative Assembly (NLA), her lawyer Norawit Lalaeng said today.
Ms Yingluck faces impeachment for alleged dereliction of duty in the scheme, as she is accused by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) of being tainted with corruption.
She did not appear before the inquiry committee on Friday and, according to Mr Norawit, she had appointed former ministers in her government to give defending statements on behalf of her as they also knew the details.
Ms Yingluck, also chairwoman of the National Rice Policy Committee at the time when she was the premier, appeared before the committee during the first hearing on January 9 and had already explained every charges brought against her, said Mr Norawit.
He said Ms Yingluck would definitely attend the closing statement on the case next Thursday.
Ms Yingluck's lawyers advised her to appoint the ministers responsible in the rice-pledging scheme to answer the charges on her behalf, he added.
The NLA has set next Friday for the vote on the impeachment cases against her. (MCOT online news)
