BANGKOK: Thailand’s Supreme Court delivered a significant verdict on Monday, absolving former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra of corruption allegations related to a government contract awarded during her tenure in office.
Yingluck, who served as prime minister from 2011 until her ousting in a 2014 military coup, had been charged with malfeasance in connection with a 2013 project valued at over $6.7 million (240 million Baht).
The court’s decision marks another legal victory for the influential Shinawatra family, coming shortly after Yingluck’s brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, a former prime minister also removed from power in a coup, was granted parole in February, reducing his originally eight-year prison sentence.
Yingluck and five co-defendants were accused of irregularities in the bidding process for the “Roadshow to Build the Future of Thailand” project, aimed at promoting infrastructure initiatives under her government.
In a unanimous ruling, the nine-judge panel found no evidence of wrongdoing, stating that there was no intention to benefit the media outlets that secured the contract, according to an official statement from the court.
“The project adhered to regulatory requirements,” the statement affirmed.
Although Yingluck was not physically present in court, her legal representative attended on her behalf.
“We are grateful to the court for dismissing the case,” remarked Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan, a former deputy prime minister and co-defendant. “We maintain our innocence.”
Yingluck has been living in self-imposed exile since 2017 to evade potential convictions in other legal proceedings. Notably, in 2017, she was sentenced to five years in prison in connection with a corruption case related to a rice-pledging scheme implemented during her premiership.
Despite this favorable ruling, Yingluck still faces six additional cases pertaining to alleged corruption during her time in office.
