BANGKOK — Thailand’s Supreme Administrative Court on Thursday ordered former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to pay over $300 million in damages related to a controversial rice subsidy programme during her time in office — the latest legal blow in a saga that has shadowed her since being ousted from power in 2014.
The ruling overturned an earlier decision by a lower court, reinstating a finance ministry order that Yingluck compensate the government for losses incurred under the scheme, which watchdogs had long criticised as wasteful and rife with corruption.
Yingluck, the aunt of current Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, was found liable for negligence after she allegedly ignored repeated warnings from anti-graft agencies about fraudulent practices linked to the programme.
“The defendant failed to heed corruption warnings and must therefore be held responsible for the damages caused,” the court stated. It set the amount payable by Yingluck at 10.028 billion baht, or roughly $300 million, a reduction from the original 35.7 billion baht ($1.1 billion) initially demanded by the finance ministry.
The rice subsidy programme, introduced during Yingluck’s premiership between 2011 and 2014, aimed to boost rural incomes by purchasing rice from farmers at above-market prices. While popular with farmers, the scheme resulted in massive stockpiles and was heavily criticised for draining the national budget and fostering widespread corruption.
Yingluck was ousted in a military coup in 2014 and later sentenced in absentia in 2017 to five years in prison over criminal negligence linked to the scheme. She fled Thailand shortly before the verdict and has since lived in exile, reportedly in the United Kingdom.
Following Thursday’s verdict, Yingluck’s lawyer, Norawit Lalaeng, said they were considering whether to request a new hearing or appeal the decision.
The ruling adds another chapter to the decade-long legal and political drama surrounding Yingluck, whose rise to power echoed that of her elder brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, another former prime minister ousted by a military coup and convicted in absentia before returning to Thailand in 2023.
Critics say the Shinawatra family’s influence has remained a divisive force in Thai politics, with their populist policies winning strong support in rural regions, but drawing fierce resistance from the country’s conservative establishment and military-aligned elites.
With this ruling, Yingluck’s financial liabilities now mirror her political fall — a stark reminder of how Thailand’s volatile political landscape continues to reshape the legacy of one of its most polarising political dynasties.