A damaged Ferrari found at the Yoovidhya family residence in 2022. Photo by Reuters
Former Thai police chief Somyot Poompanmoung is facing charges for allegedly helping Red Bull heir Vorayuth Yoovidhya escape justice after his Ferrari fatally struck a police officer in Bangkok in 2012.
The Attorney General’s Office said it would also indict seven other people, including police officers, a lawyer, a specialist engineer and a former deputy attorney general, as reported by the Justice Department. The Independent.
Last year, Somyot, national police chief from 2014 to 2015, was charged with tampering with evidence in the 2012 case by Thailand’s National Anti-Corruption Commission.
Vorayuth is the grandson of Red Bull co-founder Chaleo Yoovidhya and the heir to the energy drink giant’s fortune.
The Yoovidhya family owns a 51% stake in Red Bull and has a net worth of $20 billion, according to Forbes.
In 2012, Vorayuth, then 27, allegedly drove a Ferrari that crashed into a traffic cop’s motorcycle, killing the officer on a main street in Bangkok, according to AP News.
Police traced the Ferrari to the Yoovidhya family residence on a nearby road.
For years, Vorayuth managed to avoid court and flee the country, living a lavish life abroad without facing consequences for his actions.
