Thai Public Prosecutor is set to prosecute the country’s former police chief for allegedly helping the heir to the Red Bull energy drink company avoid murder charges. The suspect is accused of killing a police officer in a hit-and-run accident in 2012.
Thailand’s former Police Chief, Somyot Poompanmoun and seven other officers were charged with dereliction of duty and helping certain individuals to avoid punishment.
Somyot, 69, is accused of using his position as a member of the Parliament’s legal committee to help Vorayuth Yoovidhya. Somyot, however, denied the allegations to the Thai media.
Vorayuth was accused of crashing into a policeman, Wichien Klanprasert with his Ferrari and dragging the victim’s body for tens of meters. Vorayuth then fled the scene. The accident occurred when the former was 27 years old in 2012.
Vorayuth avoided eight court summons related to the case before the authorities issued an arrest warrant five years after the incident. He has since fled abroad and his current whereabouts are unknown.
In 2020, the Thai Police said they will investigate why the criminal charges were dropped. The decision was made after public outcry to the dropping of the case.
Vorayuth’s late grandfather, Chaleo Yoovidhya was the founder of Krating Daeng energy drink (for the local market initially), who eventually became one of the founders of Red Bull (for the global market) along with Dietrich Mateschitz.
Forbes ranks the family as the second richest in Thailand with a net worth of US$33.4 billion (RM159.55 billion).
