Yingluck ready to close defence
Former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra said yesterday she is ready to give her closing statement in the rice-pledging case in which she is accused of failing to stop the corruption-plagued scheme, which resulted in over 500 billion baht in damages.
But Ms Yingluck said she still has to consult her lawyers as to whether she should request to verbally present her closing statement at the final witness hearing or submit a written version instead.
Her comments were delivered yesterday before attending the 14th hearing of the defendant’s witnesses in the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders.
The final hearing for defence witnesses is scheduled for July 21. If there are no more witnesses to deliver testimony, than the court will specify dates for both the plaintiff and defendant to deliver their closing statements.
The schedule for either the verbal closing statement presentation or the submission of the written statement should normally occur from one week to no later than one month after testimony in the case concludes, she said.
Ms Yingluck’s legal team said the four witnesses to deliver testimony yesterday were: Former deputy prime minister and commerce minister Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan; former deputy prime minister Plodprasop Suraswadi; former Nakhon Nayok provincial governor Surachai Srisarakham; and Lt Gen Paradorn Pattanathabutr, secretary-general of the National Security Council.
As for the presence of a number of her supporters who turned up yesterday at the court to offer her moral support before she entered the courtroom, Ms Yingluck said they came because they wanted to, as they still felt connected to her government and its policies.
She said she did not want anyone to wrongfully view her supporters as having been incited to come and gather at the court on her behalf. Ms Yingluck said she had tried to communicate to them that they should abide by court rules and National Council for Peace and Order regulations.
“I’m feeling very welcome and impressed by the moral support they always have for me. I’m very glad that everywhere I go, there are people to hold my hands and offer me moral support,” she said.
“This is the charm and moral support Thai people always have to offer. So, I will never give up proving my innocence.”