Former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who faces a criminal charge over the rice pledging scheme, was expected to be arraigned in the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political Office Holders in about a month, NACC secretary-general said Sunday.
Sansern Poljiak said attorney-general Trakul Winitnaiyapak was writing an indictment for Ms Yingluck’s arraignment at the court, and the process would take about a month. Once the written indictment was completed, Mr Trakul would ask the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to inform Ms Yingluck to report to him on the day she would be arraigned.
If the accused failed to show up on that day, the attorney-general would again ask the NACC to bring her before the court for an arraignment. The NACC may contact Ms Yingluck directly at this stage, Mr Sansern said, or would ask police investigators to seek an arrest warrant if it found she attempted to escape facing criminal charges.
Mr Sansern added he believed Ms Yingluck was ready to fight the case through the judicial process
In this high-profile criminal case, the ex-premier is accused of dereliction of duty for failing to stop losses and corruption in the rice-pledging programme, in violation of Section 157 of the Criminal Code and the National Anti-Corruption Act.
If found guilty, Ms Yingluck could face a maximum jail term of 10 years.
Ms Yingluck has not been banned from travelling abroad since being indicted by public prosecutors on Friday, but still needs to ask permission from the NCPO as she has done in the past.
Reporters on Saturday asked Col Winthai Suvaree, the army spokesman, if Ms Yingluck could ask the regime to travel abroad at this time. Col Winthai said the ex-premier had not made such request yet, but if she would make one soon, her request would be considered by the NCPO as usual.