Yingluck down, Somsak, Nikhom survive (Updated)

The NLA has voted overwhelming to retroactively remove former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra from office, but rejected the cases against former House speaker Somsak Kiatsuranon and ex-Senate speaker Nikhom Wairatpanich. Earlier in the morning, Ms Yingluck received the bad news that the OAG will indict her for her role in the rice scheme.

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The National Legislative Assembly has voted overwhelmingly to retroactively remove former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra from office, but rejected the cases against former House speaker Somsak Kiatsuranon and ex-Senate speaker Nikhom Wairatpanich.

The ruling against Ms Yingluck effectively strips her of their her political rights for five years.

219 out of the 220 NLA members were present for the vote. The as yet unofficial totals were 190 - 18 in favour of impeachment for Ms Yingluck, 100-118  for Mr Somsak and 95-120  for Mr Nikhom. Eleven members abstained in the vote regarding Ms Yingluck, and four for both Mr Somsak and Mr Nikhom.

Sources close to the former prime minister say she will give a statement shortly.

Here is more from our online reporters

The anti-graft agency had moved to impeach Mr Nikom for cutting short parliamentary debate on constitutional amendments to change the make-up of the Senate in 2013.

Mr Somsak had been accused of tolerating the inappropriate change of the constitutional amendment bill  in the same year, to allow senators to continue with their new term without a break.
 
NLA president Pornphet Wichitcholchai said after the vote that Mr Nikom and Mr Somsak were not impeached because the NACC had accused them of violating the 2007 constitution and there were doubts that remained a violation because the constitution had been revoked.

In the case of Ms Yingluck, Mr Pornphet said that the NACC had charged her with intentionally violating the State Administration Act by tolerating corruption in the rice scheme.

When it rains it pours

The Bangkok Post is reporting more bad news for the former prime minister

The Office of the Attorney-General on Friday resolved to indict former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra over the corruption-plagued rice-pledging scheme.

Surasak Trirattrakul, director-general of the OAG's Litigation Department, disclosed that Attorney-General Trakul Winitchayapak already signed an order to prosecute Ms Yingluck for failing to halt the programme after the anti-graft agency found irregularities in it.

The OAG made its decision to take Ms Yingluck to the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political Office Holders even as the National Legislative Assembly prepared to vote on impeachment motions against her and her top lieutenants, former House speaker Somsak Kiartsuranon and former Senate speaker Nikom Wairatpanij.

Friday morning update

11:50 Voting has just ended in the impeachment cases of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, former House speaker Somsak Kiatsuranon and ex-Senate speaker Nikhom Wairatpanich and the vote count is beginning.

We'll know if the source quoted by the Bangkok Post this morning is accurate shortly:

Axe poised to fall on Yingluck

Post reporters

Former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra is unlikely to survive the impeachment vote today as more than 150 members of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) are expected to vote against her, a source at the assembly said.

The source said after hearing Ms Yingluck's closing statement yesterday that many NLA members had found Ms Yingluck was still unable to clear up accusations that she failed to stop the massive losses and damage under her government's rice-pledging scheme.

They also believe the case against her is backed up by strong evidence under the National Anti-Corruption Act and the law governing national administration regulations, the source said.

The source said the 150 NLA members, who are expected to vote to impeach her today, include the anti-Thaksin 40 Group of Senators, academics, and particularly military and police officers in the NLA. The motion requires the support of three-fifths of NLA members, or 132 votes of all 220 NLA members.

10:30 The Bangkok Post is reporting more bad news for the former prime minister

The Office of the Attorney-General on Friday resolved to indict former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra over the corruption-plagued rice-pledging scheme.

Surasak Trirattrakul, director-general of the OAG's Litigation Department, disclosed that Attorney-General Trakul Winitchayapak already signed an order to prosecute Ms Yingluck for failing to halt the programme after the anti-graft agency found irregularities in it.

The OAG made its decision to take Ms Yingluck to the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political Office Holders even as the National Legislative Assembly prepared to vote on impeachment motions against her and her top lieutenants, former House speaker Somsak Kiartsuranon and former Senate speaker Nikom Wairatpanij.

Thursday's story

Yingluck makes her defence

Former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has completed her defence before National Legislative Assembly members of her role in the controversial rice-pledging scheme.

The NLA will decide tomorrow whether or not to impeach her, a move that could strip her of her political rights for five years.

Ms Yingluck spoke briefly to reporters upon arrival at parliament, saying she had the best of intentions in sending former ministers to defend her during the earlier question period instead of appearing in person.

She said she hoped she would be treated fairly and the people could decide if she had acted properly.

National Anti-Corruption Commission member Vicha Mahakhun began the proceedings by outlining the case against her. He accused her government of policy corruption, carrying out the rice-pledging scheme primarily to win votes from farmers, buying up rice at double the market price and then storing it in warehouses.  He said well-hidden but corrupt practices were present at every level of the scheme, but they were extremely difficult to investigate.

Mr Vicha said that when Ms Yingluck was warned about the problems in the scheme, she failed to act, obscuring facts rather than disciplining those involved. He said the losses to the taxpayers were enormous and the debts incurred by the failed programme may take the Finance Ministry 30 years to pay off.

He said that the former prime minister's actions were clearly a dereliction of duty as defined by government regulations.

Ms Yingluck then began a spirited defence. She first explained that she sent her representatives to answer the questions posed by NLA members because they were directly responsible for carrying out the rice scheme and they therefore had the relevant facts.

She then strongly disputed the NACC's right to bring the impeachment case against her since the constitution it was based on has been abrogated. She said the legal grounds cited by the NACC were not valid, thus a decision against her would be a violation of her political rights.

Ms Yingluck also disputed figures regarding losses incurred by the scheme. She said measures were put in place to prevent corruption and, showing official NACC documents, she said the anti-graft agency had not issued warnings as claimed. Ms Yingluck then complained that the NACC refused to hear testimony from several of her key witnesses, seriously hampering her defence. At the same time, the commission allowed members of the opposition to testify against her.

Ms Yingluck then said contrary to claims that the rice-pledging scheme was a loss to taxpayers, it generated significant income to farmers and other segments of the economy. When compared to the government's budget as a whole, it was not a significant burden.

Ms Yingluck said she carried out her duties properly and was in no way derelict in her duty, nor did she ignore corruption, putting in place many measures to ensure the programme was carried out transparently. She also acted on information supplied to her by the opposition and even the NACC itself.

She ended by saying that the proceedings against were politically motived and had a hidden agenda. She cited as an example, the timing of yesterday's announcement of charges against her agriculture minister and other government officials.

She had never cheated anyone, she said, nor was she involved in corruption. She had always carried out her duties with the country's interests in mind. Her intention was to help poor farmers enjoy a standard of living similar to more fortunate members of society – at the very minimum equivalent to the minimum wage of 300 baht a day. This is not a matter of simply adding up revenue versus costs, she said. People have to see the big picture.

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