Former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra showed up for her opening defence statement on the impeachment motion against her last Friday (January 9), but did not front the National Legislative Assembly today answer questions.
The NLA's inquiry committee wanted to question Ms Yingluck, who the National Anti-Corruption Commission accused of wrongfully failing to halt her government's rice-pledging scheme despite reports it was running at a B500 billion loss to the state. The questioning is part of a process of the hearing of the impeachment motion against Ms Yingluck.
Ms Yingluck instead had former deputy prime minister and finance minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong, former deputy prime minister and commerce minister Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan, former deputy commerce minister Yanyong Phuangrach and former PM's office minister Varathep Rattanakorn appear in the NLA to answer questions on her behalf.
Late Friday morning some NLA members proposed the NLA postpone the question and answer session to wait for Ms Yingluck to answer questions herself. NLA president Pornphet Wichitcholchai replied there was no regulation to force Ms Yingluck to appear in person to face the questions.
He also ruled Ms Yingluck should have only one representative to answer questions on her behalf.
The NLA then went behind closed doors to discuss its response to Ms Yingluck's decision not to show up.
The NLA set January 23 to vote on the impeachment case against Ms Yingluck. On the same day it will also vote on the impeachment case against former Senate speaker Nikom Wairatpanij and former House speaker Somsak Kiatsuranont, who are accused of legal violations in past attempts to change the make-up of the Senate.
If the vote goes against them they will be retroactively removed from their past positions and have their political rights suspended.
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