Thai immigration police chief says no information Yingluck has fled country

The head of Thailand's immigration police chief said he believed former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra remained in the country after a Supreme Court judge raised suspicion that she had fled after she failed to show up on Friday for the verdict in a negligence case.

Yingluck, whose government was ousted in a 2014 coup, faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty.

"Up until this point we have no information showing that Yingluck has exited via any of Thailand's border check points," Immigration police chief Nanthathorn Prousoontorn told Reuters.

"I believe she is still in Thailand. If she is found she will be arrested," he said.

A lawyer for Yingluck said on Friday he did not know her wherabouts.

The Supreme Court set a new date of Sept. 27 for the verdict but said it would also seek an arrest warrant for Yingluck. The court said Yingluck gave an ear problem as the reason she could not come to court to hear the verdict.