Yingluck to fight rice scheme probe

Yingluck to fight rice scheme probe

Caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said on Wednesday she was ready to defend her role in the rice-pledging scheme.

A farmer in Phitsanulok province announces his decision to sell his tractor in a rally in Muang district on Tuesday as he could not wait for payments in the rice-pledging scheme from the caretaker government. (Photo by Chinawat Singha)

Ms Yingluck said she will fight the case before the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) and hoped for fairness from the anti-graft agency.

The NACC decided on Tuesday to probe the caretaker prime minister over failing to break up the scheme despite warnings of a huge loss of money.

Ms Yingluck chairs the National Rice Policy Committee which oversees the scheme.

She could face criminal charges and impeachment if the NACC finds she is culpable.

The NACC will formally advise the caretaker prime minister of its next move next week to give her a chance to defend herself.

It earlier found 15 people, including former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom, culpable of alleged corruption concerning fake sales of rice to China under the government-to-government scheme.

The caretaker government is facing pressure from farmers who demand immediate payments on their harvests pledged under the rice scheme.

Payments have been delayed for months due to a shortage of money.

The government is seeking loans of up to 130 billion baht from several financial sources to pay the arrears amid concern that the farmers' anger could dampen the popularity of the Pheu Thai Party.

Ms Yingluck called for all sides to show sympathy to the plight of farmers as they are in need of money.

''Please convey my message to them (farmers) that everybody, including the caretaker government, is not sitting idly by,'' she said of a plan to solicit money to end the overdue payments for farmers.

The rice-pledging scheme was a flagship policy of Pheu Thai in the last election.

NACC spokesman Vicha Mahakhun said on Tuesday that the probe would be quickly carried out.

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