Dressed in black, Yingluck arrived at about 8.30am for the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division on Political Office Holders trial.

Yingluck smiled and briefly spoke to the media before entering the court.

She thanked her supporters and the media.

She insisted she is innocent and that the rice-pledging scheme was intended to help farmers.

Her lawyer said her closing statement has 20 pages and cover six aspects. The statement will take around one hour to read, starting from 9.30am.

As she emerged from a van at the court, hundreds of her supporters, who began assembling at the court at about 5am, gave her flowers and cheered: “Yingluck fight on, fight on.”

Hundreds of crowd control police from the Metropolitan Police Bureau were deployed at the Supreme Court. Fences were erected in front of the court.

Yingluck was charged with negligence for allegedly failing to prevent corruption and irregularities in the rice-pledging scheme.

The Supreme Court’s Criminal Division on Political Office Holders is set to deliver its verdict on August 25.

Yingluck would have the right to appeal to the Supreme Court if the verdict goes against her, provided the draft bill on criminal procedures against political office-holders is enacted in time to cover her case.