Thailand’s first woman Premier Yingluck Shinawatra was on Friday banned from politics for five years and faces criminal charges for negligence that could put in jail for up to 10 years, in a heavy blow to the ousted leader’s powerful family that has ruled the nation for years.
Thailand’s military-appointed legislature voted to successfully impeach the 47-year-old former Prime Minister, who denounced the decision saying “democracy has died”.
The move could trigger fresh tensions in the politically divided nation that is still under martial law after the military seized power in May last year.
Yingluck was impeached by the National legislative Assembly (NlA) over a controversial rice subsidy scheme, which, though popular, cost billions of dollars and triggered protests that toppled her Government.
Under the scheme, the crop was purchased from farmers at around twice the market prices. The vote, that implies Yingluck will be banned from politics for five years, came hours after the attorney general’s office announced plans to indict her on criminal charges for negligence related to the rice programme.
Yingluck will face criminal charges in the Supreme Court and if found guilty faces up to 10 years in jail, the Attorney General’s Office said.