Bangkok – The lawyer of ex-Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Norawich Laolaeng, said Monday he will not file an appeal in the rice scheme case because he has not been able to contact his client.
Yingluck failed to turn up at the Supreme Court on August 25 to hear the court’s verdict in the 2-year rice pledging case. The court handed her a five-year prison sentence.
Norawich said he has not been able to reach Yingluck, nor does he know her whereabouts, adding that his legal team has decided not to file a notice of appeal to have the verdict overturned.
Yingluck was found guilty of dereliction of duty in the high-profile rice scheme fiasco.
Director-General of the Office of the Attorney-General’s Investigation Office, Surasak Threerattrakul, said there is no statute of limitations in the case against the former PM.
In the meantime, former Deputy Commerce Minister Poom Sarapol and former Commerce Minister Boonsong Teriyapirom, who have been found guilty of mishandling the rice-pledging scheme, have filed an appeal with the Supreme Court which is now considering their request.
