Prime Minister Orders Probe into Red Bull Heir’s Hit-and-Run Case

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has appointed a probe panel to review the fatal 2012 hit-and-run charges against Red Bull heir Vorayuth Yoovidhya that have been dropped.

The high-profile case has caused public anger after it was revealed last Friday that public prosecutors decided to drop all charges against Vorayuth.

Prayut’s order came after the Royal Thai Police and the Office of the Attorney-general have set up their panels to launch internal investigations.  The two agencies have been criticized for perceived corruption and failures to prosecute Vorayuth.

The Prime Minister appointed law expert Vicha Mahakhun to lead the panel comprising senior Justice Ministry officials and deans of law schools.  The panel is to compile a report to the Prime Minister within 30 days.

According to the order issued by the Prime Minister, the panel will perform fact findings and review legal issues surrounding the case in order to address public concerns as well as to improve the justice system.

Meanwhile, the probe panel of the Royal Thai Police held its first meeting on Wednesday after being set up on Monday with a deadline for a final report within 15 days.

Pressures are mounting on police and public attorneys to give clear answers to the incident in September 2012 when Vorayuth crashed his Ferrari into an on-duty police officer and dragged the dead body several meters.

The public has raised questions over a police investigation report that misses out many allegations including the Red bull heir’s blood test that showed he was under the influence of alcohol and cocaine.

The Office of Attorney-General is also deplored for its failure to bring Vorayuth to justice.