On May 23, Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, Secretary-General of the Progressive Movement, publicly criticized the Supreme Administrative Court’s ruling that ordered former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to pay 10.03 billion baht in damages for her alleged negligence in the rice-pledging scheme, specifically regarding G-to-G rice sales.
Piyabutr expressed strong disagreement with the court’s judgment, arguing it exceeded legal grounds, blurred the line between policy decisions and legal liability, and used facts not originally part of the Ministry of Finance’s administrative order. He emphasized:
- The core liability claim against Yingluck arose post-coup (2014), calling into question the neutrality of the process.
- The G-to-G rice sales, which involved corruption, were under operational level control—not Yingluck’s direct responsibility as PM or Chair of the National Rice Policy Committee.
- The court improperly incorporated facts from unrelated criminal proceedings as justification for her civil liability.
- This sets a dangerous precedent—where future prime ministers might avoid all bold decisions out of fear of being retroactively blamed for subordinate actions.
He reaffirmed support for the Administrative Court’s initial ruling, which cleared Yingluck of liability, and called for the Supreme Administrative Court to disclose voting details and judicial reasoning for public transparency.
Despite political differences with Yingluck and the current government, Piyabutr stated he remains consistent in his academic stance: Yingluck should not be held liable under administrative tort law, and such legal overreach jeopardizes democratic governance.