Former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra took to social media on Thursday to defend herself against a ruling by the Supreme Administrative Court, which ordered her to pay over 10 billion baht in damages over her administration's failed rice-pledging scheme, despite never being named a defendant in the case.
In a post on her official Facebook page on Thursday, she called the ruling "deeply unjust", noting a lower court had previously ruled that she bore no financial liability in the case.
However, she said, the new ruling held her solely responsible for losses caused by agencies over which she had no direct control.
"The debt of 10 billion baht is impossible for me to repay in a lifetime," she wrote.
"I worked to stabilise rice prices and lift farmers out of poverty, yet I am now left to shoulder this burden alone."
In the post, which was posted on the 11th anniversary of the 2014 military coup which ousted her administration from power, Yingluck defended the rice-pledging scheme.
Sacks of pledged rice have been stored for over a decade at a warehouse in Surin province. (Photo: Ministry of Commerce)
The former premier said the policy was intended to stimulate the economy at the grassroots level and improve the lives of over 20 million farming families.
She rejected the accusation that she caused the damage, stressing that the programme was implemented strictly through formal bureaucratic procedures.
"How can this be considered justice when I'm being held accountable for actions I had no part in?"
She also questioned why the alleged mismanagement of rice stocks after the coup has never been thoroughly investigated, despite reports that quality rice was sold as rotten at huge losses.
"Since the 2014 coup, I've faced power seizure, asset freezes, politically motivated lawsuits, and now this court ruling," Yingluck said.
"Unless elected leaders are given fair treatment under the law, ordinary citizens cannot expect true justice."
