Prosecutors in Thailand say they will indict former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra for negligence in a rice subsidy program that cost Thailand $4 billion.
Officials told reporters Friday that Yingluck will face a criminal charge in Thailand's Supreme Court. If convicted, she could face a maximum of 10 years in prison.
The announcement comes on the same day that the country's military-appointed legislature is scheduled to vote in a separate impeachment case against Yingluck for failing to exercise sufficient oversight in the operation.
Yingluck strongly defended herself in parliament Thursday. She told the 220-member legislature that the case against her is politically motivated and that the subsidy program benefited Thai farmers.
The National Anti-Corruption Commission held Yingluck responsible for failing to halt the program, which cost the government about $4 billion.
Yingluck is the younger sister of former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, himself ousted in a military coup in 2006 over accusations of corruption. Thaksin fled Thailand in 2008 when faced with a two-year sentence for corruption, but Thaksin and his Pheu Thai Party remain popular, especially in rural areas.
