Yingluck recently filed a petition at the Administrative Court seeking a revocation of an executive order to seize assets worth Bt36 billion on grounds that her government’s rice-pledging scheme had caused massive damages to the state. She also asked the court for an injunction to block the government from seizing her assets.

However, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam on Tuesday ordered agencies to proceed with the seizure of Yingluck’s assets and not to wait for the court’s ruling. He also said if the court ordered an injunction later, the government did not need to return the seized assets.

“I don’t understand why the government’s legal expert expressed their own opinions to order [the action]. It’s not fair. They are aware that I’m now seeking an injunction [to block the seizure] from the court,” Yingluck posted on Facebook. “Society now needs to see reconciliation. Judging from the remark, can society hope for justice from the government?”

The remark by the government’s legal expert showed society had no hope of justice, she said.

Wissanu, however, insisted yesterday that assets could be seized without court ruling. He maintained that the seizure of her assets had nothing to do with the government’s moves to promote reconciliation and that previous cases would not be used as bargaining tools.

Yingluck’s lawyer Noppadon Laothong, called for the government to wait for the court’s ruling.

He said he had submitted Wissanu’s action and remark to the court as proof of the government’s unfair behaviour. He will also submit a notice letter to concerned agencies to stop the asset seizure and confiscation.

Last September, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha invoked Article 44 of the interim charter to enable the seizure of assets of those responsible for the rice-pledging scheme. Yingluck and her Cabinet members – former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom and former deputy commerce minister Poom Sarapol – are facing assets seizure over the massive damages.

The Department of Legal Execution will enforce the order to ensure that state officials face civil liability lawsuits, including the cases against Yingluck and her Cabinet members.

Last Friday, the Administrative Court rejected a request by Boonsong and Poom for a court injunction to block the government from seizing their assets.

Meanwhile, the Commerce Ministry’s Foreign Trade Department is consulting the Anti-Money Laundering Office about the process of seizing the assets of three former government officials involved in fake government-to-government rice deals.

The investigation result will soon be forwarded to the Legal Execution Department.

The civil liabilities seizure cases involve Boonsong, Poom and other former senior Commerce Ministry officials who are being sued for Bt20 billion compensation for their role in fake government-to-government rice contracts during Yingluck’s tenure as prime minister.

Her government had implemented the rice-pledging scheme, which allegedly cost the state more than Bt600 billion.