Former Thai police chief arraigned for alleged cover-up of Red Bull heir's deadly traffic accident

Prosecutors in Thailand on Thursday indicted a former national police chief in connection with an alleged cover-up of a 2012 traffic accident involving the Thai heir to the Red Bull energy drink fortune that killed a police officer.

Former Police Chief Gen. Somyot Poompanmuang, along with former Deputy Attorney General Nate Naksuk and six other suspects, were arraigned for conspiring to alter the recorded speed of the Ferrari driven by Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya in an effort to help him evade a speeding charge.

They were arraigned at Bangkok’s Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases.

Vorayuth escaped justice by fleeing abroad in a case widely held up as an example of how the rich and well-connected enjoy impunity in Thailand.

Police have said Vorayuth smashed his Ferrari into the back of a police officer’s motorbike around dawn on a major Bangkok road in September 2012. The officer was flung from the bike and died at the scene. Voravuth drove home and was later arrested. Medical tests showed traces of alcohol and cocaine in his bloodstream, according to police.

Vorayuth avoided further legal action by consistently failing to meet with prosecutors, while continuing for years to live a jet-set life. By the time prosecutors finally issued an arrest warrant for Vorayuth in April 2017, he had fled abroad, where he remains.

His case has been marked by numerous delays in the investigative and judicial processes, running out the clock on most of the charges involving the hit-and-run death of the officer. There is a single charge left of reckless driving causing death, which expires under the statute of limitations in 2027.

Vorayuth is the grandson of the late Chaleo Yoovidhya, one of the creators of the globally famous Red Bull brand. Forbes magazine this year listed the Yoovidhya family as Thailand’s richest with an estimated net worth of $36 billion. Only Thailand’s royal family, treated separately by the magazine, is believed to be richer.

Somyot, who was police chief in 2014-15, and most of the other suspects who served in an official capacity, were charged with abuse of power in order to aid an individual to avoid prosecution.

Speaking to the media at the court, Somyot confirmed that he has appointed a lawyer to represent him in the trial. “It is normal to feel worried when you have to go to court on trial,” he said, declining to discuss the case.

All eight of those indicted were released on bail but are forbidden to leave the country unless granted permission by the court. They must report again to the court for questioning on Sept. 10.

In January 2020, a panel appointed by Thailand’s then-Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha to look into the handling of the case found there was a conspiracy to shield Vorayuth from prosecution, and recommended that those involved face charges.

The Factual and Legal Inquiry Committee in its report accused the deputy attorney general of acting illegally with the intention of protecting Vorayuth.

“We found that there was an organized effort to create a dishonest case,” said Vicha Mahakhun, a former Supreme Court judge who chaired the committee. “You can describe the coordinated effort as a conspiracy to damage the case from the start. We have a saying: ‘A toxic tree yields a toxic fruit.’ It is inedible.”

Vicha said at the time that the effort included false evidence, delays and insincere attempts to determine Vorayuth's whereabouts, adding that disciplinary and criminal actions should follow.