Ex-Thai police chief charged with helping Red Bull heir's escape from justice

By Minh Hieu   February 29, 2024 | 11:19 pm PT
Ex-Thai police chief charged with helping Red Bull heir's escape from justice
A damaged Ferrari found at the Yoovidhya family residence in 2022. Photo by Reuters
Former Thai police chief Somyot Poompanmoung is indicted for allegedly helping Red Bull heir Vorayuth Yoovidhya evade justice after his Ferrari fatally struck a policeman in Bangkok in 2012.

The Office of the Attorney General said it also will indict seven other individuals, comprising police officers, a lawyer, an engineering specialist, and a former deputy attorney general, as reported by The Independent.

Last year, Somyot, the national police chief from 2014 to 2015, faced accusations of tampering with evidence in the 2012 case from Thailand’s National Anti-Corruption Commission.

Vorayuth is the grandson of Red Bull co-founder Chaleo Yoovidhya and an heir to the energy drink giant’s fortune.

The Yoovidhya family holds a 51% stake in Red Bull and has a net worth of $20 billion, according to Forbes.

In 2012, then 27-year-old Vorayuth allegedly drove a Ferrari that rear-ended a traffic cop's motorbike, resulting in the officer's death on a main street in Bangkok, according to AP News.

Police tracked the Ferrari back to the Yoovidhya family residence on a nearby road.

For years, Vorayuth managed to avoid court and flee the country, living a lavish lifestyle abroad without facing the consequences of his actions.

 
 
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