(VOVworld) – The Thai military junta has rejected a request from former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to travel abroad, saying she is in the process of being indicted in the Supreme Court, a junta spokesman said Sunday. The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), which staged a coup to topple Yingluck's government last May, turned down the request because the legal process of the case in which Yingluck has been accused of dereliction of duty in a controversial rice-pledging scheme has begun, according to NCPO spokesman Winthai Suwaree, quoted by the Bangkok Post. The NCPO needed to consider the request carefully so that the legal case would not be affected, Winthai said, adding that the NCPO needs to coordinate with all agencies concerned and handle the matter correctly. But Norrawit Lalaeng, Yingluck's lawyer, argued that there are no legal grounds for rejecting Yingluck's request as the OAG is still in the process of drafting the indictment and has yet to file it with the Supreme Court.