Thai Supreme Court accepts criminal case against former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra

Bangkok: Thailand's Supreme Court accepted a criminal case against ousted former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, on Thursday, for allegedly mishandling a multibillion dollar rice subsidy scheme, and she could be jailed for up to 10 years if found guilty.

"This case is in the Supreme Court's jurisdiction so we have accepted the case and we have set the first court hearing for May 19," the court said in a statement.

Yingluck was banned from politics for five years in January after a military-backed legislature found her guilty of corruption related to the rice subsidy.

In February, the state prosecutor filed criminal charges against Yingluck, highlighting, her supporters said, the speed with which the junta is moving with cases against her powerful political family and its supporters.