Thai prosecutors indict ex-senior cop over Red Bull heir case

Thai prosecutors indicted a former senior police officer Thursday over allegations that he helped doctor evidence in a notorious hit-and-run case involving an heir to the Red Bull energy drinks fortune.

Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, princeling of the Red Bull family, is accused of ploughing his Ferrari into a policeman’s motorbike more than a decade ago, killing him on the spot.

He faced charges of causing death by reckless driving and possessing illegal substances, but dodged prosecutors and has been on the run since fleeing Thailand by private jet in 2017.

One of the highest ranking police officers at the time of the crash in 2012, Somyot Poompanmoung, is one of eight suspects accused of altering the recorded speed of Vorayuth’s Ferrari.

“Today, a state prosecutor has indicted Somyot and seven others for malfeasance in the case, leading to the suspect’s impunity,” the anti-corruption and misconduct court said in a statement.

The police record initially stated that Voravuth was driving at 177 kilometres (110 miles) per hour, but it was later changed to less than 80 kph, according to the court statement.

The eight defendants were granted bail and ordered not to leave the country without permission.

The first hearing in the case is scheduled for September 10.

The case became a symbol of what critics say is the impunity enjoyed by the super-rich and well-connected in Thailand.

As the grandson of Red Bull co-founder Chaleo Yoovidhya, who died in 2012, Vorayuth is part of a clan with an estimated net worth of $36 billion — making them Thailand’s richest family in 2024, according to Forbes.