Yingluck Shinawatra: Ex Thailand prime minister 'confident of innocence' as negligence trial begins

Thailand's former prime minister said she was confident she will be proved innocent in a trial that could see her jailed for up to 10 years.

Yingluck Shinawatra, who was forced out of office by a court decision shortly before a military coup in May 2014, pleaded not guilty to charges of dereliction of duty steaming from a controversial rice subsidy scheme she oversaw when in government.

"I am confident in my innocence," Yingluck told reporters as she entered the Supreme Court in Bangkok, AP reported. "I hope the court will grant me justice, and that everything will go according to due process under the law."

The court set bail at THB30m (£580,000, $900,000) and ordered the 47-year-old not to leave the country pending trial.

The case, which her supporters say is politically motivated, revolves around a rice subsidy scheme for which her Pheu Thai Party strongly campaigned before winning elections in 2011.

The programme was supposed to help poor farmers, but eventually racked up losses of at least $4.46bn, with Thailand also temporarily losing its leading role as the world's largest rice exporter.

Prosecutors also allege Yingluck repeatedly ignored warnings about possible corruption related to the case, while she argues she was not involved in the day-to-day running of the scheme.

Yingluck and her brother, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and lives in self-imposed exile, are extremely popular in rural areas due to their populist policies and in turn are loathed by the Thai urban elite.

The two siblings and their political allies have won every election in more than decade.