Thai Court Orders Ex-Premier Yingluck to Pay $306 Million Fine
A Thai court ordered former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra to pay a 10.03 billion baht ($306 million) fine for losses incurred under her administration's controversial rice purchase program over a decade ago.
The Supreme Administrative Court ruled that Yingluck, who is Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra's aunt, must pay the penalty because her 'extreme carelessness' had allowed corruption to take place in the rice scheme that ended up costing the state financial damages. The penalty is less than a third of the 35.7 billion imposed by the Ministry of Finance in 2016, which was rejected by a lower court five years later.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
IGP Razarudin set to step down after two years at the helm, sources say farewell ceremony next week
KUALA LUMPUR, June 14 — Tan Sri Razarudin Husain will retire as Inspector-General of Police (IGP) on June 22, marking the end of his two-year contract, Harian Metro reported today. The handover ceremony and farewell parade is scheduled to be held on June 20, at the Kuala Lumpur Police Training Centre on Jalan Semarak, the Malay newspaper reported, citing unnamed sources. Similarly, national news agency Bernama TV carried the announcement in a Facebook post yesterday. However, Bukit Aman has yet to issue a formal statement. Razarudin was appointed as the 14th IGP on contract after retiring, with his tenure beginning on June 23, 2023. He succeeded Tan Sri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
‘Illinois has always been kind of a transactional state': Political science professor weighs in on Madigan sentencing
CHICAGO (WCIA) — Michael Madigan, the longest-serving state Speaker of the House in American history, will serve seven and a half years in prison. A federal jury convicted Madigan of 10 charges back in February, including bribery, conspiracy and wire fraud. On Friday, Judge John Blakey handed down that sentence. Champaign Co. Treasurer's Office moving to new location, temporarily limiting services When calculating how long the sentence would be in the final ruling, reporters in the room said Judge Blakey cited many factors, including evidence that he led the operations and gave false testimony on the stand. He also said he felt Madigan showed no remorse for his crimes when testifying. Prosecutors declared victory and said one of the state's most influential power brokers is facing consequences for his crimes. 'Corruption at the highest level of the state legislature tears at the fabric of a vital governing body,' U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Andrew Boutros said in a statement. 'It was the grit and determination of our team of prosecutors and law enforcement agents… that allowed this case to reach a jury and send a clear message that the criminal conduct by former Speaker Madigan was unacceptable.' In the court room, Madigan's defense tried to paint him as a public servant and argued he should only receive probation. He also received hundreds of letters in support. WGN reports Madigan himself also took the stand, admitting he wasn't perfect but asked the judge if he could spend his final days with his family. One airlifted to hospital, lanes closed on I-70 in Cumberland Co. following two-vehicle crash 'When I look back on my life, being speaker is not what I'm most proud of,' the former speaker testified. 'I'm proudest of being a father and grandfather.' UIS professor emeritus of political science Kent Redfield said part of Madigan's legacy is power continues to be held in the Illinois General Assembly by caucus leaders. 'Over time, he just built the office into an institution that's incredibly powerful, and there's absolutely no reason why it had to turn out that way,' he said. Madigan served as speaker of the Illinois House for all but two years between 1983 and 2021, and he served as chair of the Illinois Democratic Party from 1998 to 2021. 'He never was the kind of same household name that a governor would be, particularly a long-standing governor like Governor [Jim] Thompson, Governor [Jim] Edgar,' Redfield explained. 'But in terms of you know, people who know the inside of Illinois politics, then he was a key feature, and he had a dominant factor in the process for an incredibly long period of time.' Legislators on both sides of the aisle have called for more ethics reform since Madigan's 2022 indictment. But while smaller proposals like restrictions on lobbying and gifts have passed, many lawmakers aren't satisfied. Sirens in 4 Iroquois Co. towns to sound again Monday 'The Democratic Majority must allow ethics proposals to receive committee hearings and votes and stop stifling reforms put forward by the Republican minority from full consideration in the General Assembly,' Senate Minority Leader John Curran said in a statement. Redfield said it's tough for the legislature to pass stricter ethics laws. 'We tend not to think systematically, we tend to react to the current situation,' he said. 'How can we make this go away, how we can deal with any particular problem or particular person, and not get to the heart of, how do we make politics more ethical.' Madigan is 83 years old, meaning he will be 90 when he is released in prison. Reporters in the room said the judge noted his age when deciding his sentence. He will report to custody on October 13. Also, as a part of his sentence is a $2.5 million fine and three years of probation. WCIA reached out to Governor J.B. Pritzker's office for response to the sentence but did not hear back. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
2 hours ago
Judge blocks plan to allow immigration agents in New York City jail
NEW YORK -- A judge blocked New York City's mayor from letting federal immigration authorities reopen an office at the city's main jail, in part because of concerns the mayor invited them back in as part of a deal with the Trump administration to end his corruption case. New York Judge Mary Rosado's decision Friday is a setback for Democratic Mayor Eric Adams, who issued an executive order permitting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies to maintain office space at the Rikers Island jail complex. City lawmakers filed a lawsuit in April accusing Adams of entering into a 'corrupt quid pro quo bargain' with the Trump administration in exchange for the U.S. Justice Department dropping criminal charges against him. Rosado temporarily blocked the executive order in April. In granting a preliminary injunction, she said city council members have 'shown a likelihood of success in demonstrating, at minimum, the appearance of a quid pro quo whereby Mayor Adams publicly agreed to bring Immigration and Customs Enforcement ('ICE') back to Rikers Island in exchange for dismissal of his criminal charges.' Rosado cited a number of factors, including U.S. border czar Tom Homan's televised comments in February that if Adams did not come through, "I'll be in his office, up his butt saying, 'Where the hell is the agreement we came to?' ' Adams has repeatedly denied making a deal with the administration over the criminal case. He has said he deputized his first deputy mayor, Randy Mastro, to handle decision-making on the return of ICE to Rikers Island to make sure there was no appearance of any conflict of interest. Rosado said that Mastro reports to Adams and 'cannot be considered impartial and free from Mayor Adams' conflicts.' Mastro said in a prepared statement Friday the administration was confident they will prevail in the case. "Let's be crystal clear: This executive order is about the criminal prosecution of violent transnational gangs committing crimes in our city. Our administration has never, and will never, do anything to jeopardize the safety of law-abiding immigrants, and this executive order ensures their safety as well," Mastro said. City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who is running in the Democratic primary for mayor, called the decision a victory for public safety. 'New Yorkers are counting on our city to protect their civil rights, and yet, Mayor Adams has attempted to betray this obligation by handing power over our city to Trump's ICE because he is compromised," she said in a prepared statement.
