Yingluck Fails to Reopen Thailand’s 10 Billion Baht Rice Compensation Case
Yingluck Fails to Reopen Thailand’s 10 Billion Baht Rice Compensation Case
BANGKOK, Sept. 23, 2026 — Thailand’s Supreme Administrative Court has rejected former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s request to reopen a case involving 10.03 billion baht (about US$310 million) in compensation linked to the government’s rice-pledging scheme, leaving the previous ruling in force.
The ruling was read at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at Courtroom 4 of the Central Administrative Court in Bangkok. The case involved Yingluck and her husband, Anusorn Amornchat, who had appealed a January 2026 decision by the Central Administrative Court refusing their request for a retrial.
The Supreme Administrative Court issued Order No. 1011/2569, upholding the lower court’s decision not to accept the request for a new hearing.
The original compensation order required Yingluck to pay 10,028,861,880.83 baht in damages in connection with losses from the rice-pledging programme. The liability was linked to her roles as prime minister and chair of the National Rice Policy Committee.
Court rejects claim of new evidence
Yingluck’s request relied in part on an urgent Commerce Ministry letter dated Aug. 1, 2025, concerning information related to a confidential ministry order issued in 2016.
The Supreme Administrative Court found that the letter did not constitute new evidence capable of materially changing the facts already established in the case.
The court said the evidence concerning losses associated with government-to-government rice sales had already been considered during proceedings before both the Central Administrative Court and Supreme Administrative Court.
It therefore concluded that the arguments presented by Yingluck amounted to a challenge to the Supreme Administrative Court’s previous assessment of evidence, rather than evidence showing that the court had made a factual error or that significant new evidence had emerged.
The court also found no serious procedural defect that would justify reopening the case.
As a result, Yingluck’s appeal against the refusal to reopen the case was rejected, leaving the previous compensation ruling in place.
Legal team considers next steps
Yingluck’s legal team said it would consult with her about possible further legal steps.
The ruling marks the latest development in the long-running legal disputes stemming from the rice-pledging programme, one of the signature policies of Yingluck’s government.
The Supreme Administrative Court had previously ruled on the compensation liability, with the final amount set at 10,028,861,880.83 baht. The latest proceedings concerned whether the case should be reopened, rather than a new determination of the original liability.
