Former Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra is due to appear before the country’s legislative body today to face charges over a failed rice subsidy scheme.

The former premier is accused of negligence over her government’s rice subsidy programme which an anti-corruption body said cost the country US$4 billion.

The charges could carry a penalty of a five-year ban from politics and a retroactive impeachment.

Television pictures showed Yingluck arriving at the hearing.

Yingluck was removed from office in May of 2014 by the country’s National Anti-Corruption Commission after months of prolonged anti-government protests, including by farmers who said they had not been paid under the rice subsidy scheme.

A caretaker government was ousted in a military coup a few days later. The current legislative body was appointed by the military government.

A verdict is due by the end of this month.

- dpa