Thailand has said former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who fled the country last year to evade a prison sentence, is in the UK after photos surfaced online apparently showing her in London.

Former Thailand prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra denied she is corrupt before a court appearance where she will defend her management of a rice subsidy the military government says she mishandled.

Thailand’s prime minister and part of her cabinet have been forced out of office by a court ruling finding her guilty in an abuse of power case, pushing the country deeper into political turmoil.