The court does not believe Yingluck is sick but thinks she is hiding or has fled, and has ordered her bail of 30 million baht (RM3.85 million) to be forfeited as well as an arrest warrant to be issued.
A lawyer for former Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra said on Friday he did not know whether she is still in Thailand after she failed to show up for the verdict in a negligence case that could result in her facing up to 10 years in prison.
The Supreme Court set a new date of Sep 27 for the verdict but said it would also seek an arrest warrant for Yingluck. The court said Yingluck gave an ear problem as the reason she could not come to court to hear the verdict.
“At 8am Yingluck’s team contacted me to say it had told the court she could not show up because of an ear fluid imbalance,” Norawit Lalaeng, Yingluck’s lawyer, told reporters.
“In the past one to two days I have not had direct contact with Yingluck but have contacted her team.”
When asked whether Yingluck was still in Thailand the lawyer replied: “I don’t know.”