Yingluck impeachment case to kick off in early 2015

BANGKOK - Thailand's National Legislative Assembly (NLA) on Friday decided to set the first hearing of the impeachment case against former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Jan. 9, 2015.

The NLA denied Yingluck's request to add 72 items of evidence to her case, in which the National Anti-Corruption Commission ( NACC) has accused the former premier of dereliction of duty for failing to stop corruption and losses in a controversial rice- pledging scheme.

It will be decided later whether Yingluck will appear before the NLA in person to deliver her opening statement in January, said Norrawit Lalang, Yingluck's defense lawyer.

If impeached, Yingluck could face a five-year ban from politics.

The NLA earlier decided to commence the impeachment case against former Senate speaker Nikhom Wairatpanich and former House speaker Somsak Kiatsuranon on January 8, 2015.

The case against the two politicians was also filed by the NACC for their role in passing a charter amendment to change the composition of the Senate last September. The amendment was ruled unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court later in November.