PUBLISHED: August 26, 2024, 16:06
Brought to trial: Eight suspects, including a former national police chief, are set to face charges in the high-profile Red Bull heir hit-and-run incident.
Deputy spokesman for the Office of the Attorney-General, Wacharin Phanurat, announced on Monday that public prosecutors will arraign eight individuals at the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases on Thursday. This move follows a request from the National Anti-Corruption Commission.
Among those charged are former national police chief Pol Gen Somyot Poompanmoung and former deputy attorney-general Nate Naksuk. The anti-corruption agency raised concerns regarding the alleged mishandling of the case.
The charges involve alterations in the reported speed of Vorayuth Yoovidhya’s Ferrari during the 2012 accident that resulted in a fatality and the previous decision to dismiss the reckless driving charges against him.
Wacharin expressed expectations that the case would reach a conclusion within a year.
Vorayuth Yoovidhya, the son of Red Bull’s Chalerm Yoovidhya, has evaded authorities since his vehicle struck and killed a police officer on September 3, 2012. Multiple charges against him have been dismissed due to the expiration of their statutes of limitations.
The only remaining charge is reckless driving causing death, which can result in a maximum of 10 years in prison and has a statute of limitations of 15 years, set to expire in 2027.
