BANGKOK, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- The members of the family of former Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra are fighting for justice over the right to continue to stay at their own house without having to pay for rent, said a defense lawyer on Friday.
According to Noravit Lalaeng, the lawyer for the fugitive Yingluck, her spouse, Anusorn Amornchat, and her son, Supasek Amornchat, have the lawful right to continue to stay in the house in Yothin Pattana area of Bangkok without having to pay rent to the Ministry of Finance.
"Given the fact that those inhabitants are truly members of Khun Yingluck's family and nobody else, they need not pay for rent in the first place."
"It was such a disheartening, ironic statement made by (Deputy Prime Minister) Wissanu Krea-ngam only to cause mental pains to Khun Anusorn and Khun Supasek who lawfully own the house as family. It was such an unbecoming interpretation of the law and the Supreme Court's verdict," the lawyer commented.
Wissanu earlier commented that Yingluck's spouse and son can still reside in that house on condition that they pay for rent because, he said, it was already confiscated by the authorities as part of all assets which she may practically possess.
However, Noravit argued that the inhabitants of the house would have to pay for rent if they were not related as family to the former prime minister.
Last August, Yingluck secretly departed Thailand via Cambodia and reportedly found her way to the United Arab Emirates before she quietly traveled to Britain with a passport of a third country.
Her escapade preceded last September's verdict of the Supreme Court which found her guilty of misconduct charges involving a rice subsidy program implemented during her civilian government several years ago.
She was sentenced in her absentia to five years in prison under the Supreme Court ruling.
