File photo courtesy of Naewna

 

Prosecutors are gearing up to challenge the acquittal of a former police chief and five others linked to evidence tampering in the notorious hit-and-run case of Red Bull heir Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhya.

 

Attorney-General Phairach Pornsomboonsiri announced plans last Friday to contest the April 22 verdict, according to Sakkasem Nisaiyok, a spokesman for the Attorney-General’s office. The six accused allegedly altered the speed records of the Ferrari driven by Vorayuth when it fatally hit a police officer in 2012.

 

The cleared defendants include Pol Gen Somyot Poompanmoung, a former national police chief, and Pol Maj Gen Thawatchai Mekprasertkul from the Police Forensic Science Division. Others acquitted were Pol Col Veeradol Thapthimdee, Chuchai Lertpongasiron, Thanit Buakhiew, and Assoc Prof Saiprasit Kerdniyom, an automotive analyst.

 

The appeal does not extend to two other defendants, Chainarong Saengthong-aram and Nate Naksuk, who received prison sentences of two and three years, respectively. The revised speed report contributed to dropping the charge of reckless driving causing death.

 

In the early hours of September 3, 2012, Vorayuth collided his Ferrari with a motorcycle driven by Pol Snr Sgt Maj Wichian Klanprasert in Bangkok's Thong Lor neighbourhood. Instead of aiding the officer, Vorayuth dragged the body for 200 metres and fled.

 

Post-investigation, charges were raised against Vorayuth, yet justice remains elusive with his consistent no-shows in court and eventual escape abroad in 2017. He's rumoured to reside mainly in London because of his family-owned properties.

 

His family controls 51% of Red Bull and was crowned Thailand's richest by Forbes in 2025, with a wealth of $44.5 billion (approx. 1.59 trillion Thai Baht). Over time, various charges against Vorayuth expired, including a 2013 speeding charge and another in 2017 for failing to aid an accident victim.

 

The remaining charge, reckless driving causing death, risks a 10-year jail term but only lingers until September 2027.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Bangkok Post 2025-08-28

 

Excellent news

Run out of brown envelopes. Needing a topup.

 

So, watch this space for nothing to happen (yawn).

Yet again talking about all the people around the case. What about Boss? They know where he is, but don´t bring him home to face the charges. Just shows that some people are above the law. Disgusting work from a corrupted to the core system. Not one guy with power has the back bone to stand up. Just a bunch of p-ies

3 hours ago, webfact said:

The appeal does not extend to two other defendants, Chainarong Saengthong-aram and Nate Naksuk, who received prison sentences of two and three years, respectively.

 

How Thai justice really works.....

 

 

Neither man has served time in prison yet. After sentencing in April 2025, both were granted bail pending appeal, each posting a 200,000 baht bond. So while the convictions are real, their incarceration is effectively on hold until the appeals process concludes.

Is there an Interpol red notice for this shameless billionaire?

5 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

What about Boss? They know where he is, but don´t bring him home to face the charges.

How do you think the RTP can "bring him home" from a country in which he is not wanted and they have no jurisdiction?

9 minutes ago, unblocktheplanet said:

Is there an Interpol red notice for this shameless billionaire?

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/crime-crime/2017/09/12/interpol-posts-boss-red-bull-wanted-listing/

 

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/rbr-696x492.jpg

43 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

How do you think the RTP can "bring him home" from a country in which he is not wanted and they have no jurisdiction?

Wasn´t it a Red Notice on that Guy? He should have been brought home then, or need to put a Red Notice on him. So, yeah, if want, very easy. How to you think, or did you think at all?

Wonder how many brown enveloppes were handed out ? 

2 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

3 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

How do you think the RTP can "bring him home" from a country in which he is not wanted and they have no jurisdiction?

Wasn´t it a Red Notice on that Guy? He should have been brought home then, or need to put a Red Notice on him. So, yeah, if want, very easy. How to you think, or did you think at all?

Yes, there is but, obviously, you have no idea what Interpol notices are.  They are advisories to member police forces, that's all,  If the authorities of the country that he is in do not wish to act on the notice, no one can force them to arrest him and no one has the power to have him "brought" home unless he is arrested and extradition starts.

3 hours ago, unblocktheplanet said:

Is there an Interpol red notice for this shameless billionaire?

Yes....

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Yes, there is but, obviously, you have no idea what Interpol notices are.  They are advisories to member police forces, that's all,  If the authorities of the country that he is in do not wish to act on the notice, no one can force them to arrest him and no one has the power to have him "brought" home unless he is arrested and extradition starts.

They love rich foreign criminals in London. Place is crawling with them.

One law for a drunken pickup driver, who would be fined 50,000 baht, and another for a billionaire who has given the family of the victim millions. 

4 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

Wasn´t it a Red Notice on that Guy? He should have been brought home then, or need to put a Red Notice on him. So, yeah, if want, very easy. How to you think, or did you think at all?

Perhaps not so simple ...a certain well known Malaysian Chinese  fugitive  wanted for years  has been known to slip in and out of Thailand . It's a game .

 

Got to keep the make believe fantasy going....it's all so good for the PR of law enforcement authorities....even though it's not!

21 hours ago, webfact said:

lingers until September 2027

Then he'll come back to Thailand legitimately after all these years of visiting mummy on the QT.

10 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Yes....

This red notice was taken down several years ago.

 

Try to keep up.

Fat brown envelopes will be flying around again...

Corruption at its best everybody involved at the case seems to be getting jail time or investigating why don’t they investigate the fact that all this time they know where he is and no one‘s wanted to file the red notice to bring them back to Thailand that’s the real issue here why are they protecting this guy oh I forgot bigger than big brown envelopes that’s disgusting this guy is guilty And another year he’s gonna come back here like nothing’s happen what is going on TIT 

11 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Yes, there is but, obviously, you have no idea what Interpol notices are.  They are advisories to member police forces, that's all,  If the authorities of the country that he is in do not wish to act on the notice, no one can force them to arrest him and no one has the power to have him "brought" home unless he is arrested and extradition starts.

Same as Putin. Still free

One law for a drunken pickup driver, who would be fined 50,000 baht, and another for a billionaire who has given the family of the victim millions. 

 

 

From a family worth almost 1.6 Trillion THB, I would say that the supposed payment of some 3 million baht to the family of the victim is more of an insult than a compensation. Especially since the accused did a runner.

 

Not putting a price on a death, but it was the equivalent of about £60,000 at the time. it probably cost more to repair the Ferrari.

22 hours ago, JoePai said:

Excellent news

Except the guy that did it is as free as a bird.

Protected species I guess.

Red Bull heir Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhya. when is he going to jail.

Never I expect , has to many brown envelopes.

Thailand complies with plenty of requests from the UK to capture and hand over 

criminals. I would imagine the UK would do the same. The key question is ; WAS a 

RED ALERT ever issued by Thailand ?

1 hour ago, mikebell said:

Then he'll come back to Thailand legitimately after all these years of visiting mummy on the QT.

Absolutely. And at that point there'll be nothing anybody could do about it, legally. As they say about US banks: too big to fail, in Thailand it's too rich to jail...

19 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

Not one guy with power has the back bone to stand up

Why should anyone stand up as you say. By standing up their income would be significantly affected.

Just the usual bull - red or otherwise.

 

14 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

How do you think the RTP can "bring him home" from a country in which he is not wanted and they have no jurisdiction?

Heard of extradition?

 

20 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

 Not one guy with power has the back bone to stand up. Just a bunch of p-ies

 

Yes, and the rich have their fingers in all the p-ies.

 

You yourself have the power to truthbomb redbulls's popular and considerable worldwide social media presence.

 

You could make it your own personal crusade, if it would help to alleviate your moral outrage.