Thailand convicts ex-prosecutors in fugitive Red Bull heir hit-and-run case
BANGKOK (Reuters) - A court in Thailand on Tuesday convicted two former prosecutors for misconduct in connection with a high-profile hit-and-run case involving the fugitive heir to the Red Bull energy drink empire.
Vorayuth 'Boss' Yoovidhya, the grandson of the late Thai billionaire Chaleo Yoovidhya who created the Red Bull energy drink, is accused of crashing his Ferrari into a policeman in 2012 and dragging his body under the vehicle for more than 100 metres (328 feet) before fleeing.
His whereabouts is unknown and he is likely living abroad, according to media reports.
A former deputy attorney-general who oversaw Vorayuth's, case, Net Naksuk, and another prosecutor were sentenced to three and two years respectively on Tuesday after being found guilty of misconduct in helping Vorayuth avoid prosecution and deciding not to indict him.
Vorayuth, who was 27 at the time of the incident, was later charged with speeding, hit-and-run and reckless driving causing death. He ignored multiple court summons before authorities issued a warrant for his arrest five years after the incident.
He initially admitted to driving the car but denied other charges.
The hit-and-run case has captured significant public attention in Thailand, stoking anger over a perception of impunity for the wealthy, with Vorayuth still at large, despite repeated promises from authorities to bring him to justice.
Six others defendants in the case, including former national police chief Somyot Poompanmoung, were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
The two former prosecutors sentenced on Tuesday have denied wrongdoing and were appealing the verdict, according to the court. They could not immediately be reached for comment.
'The actions of the defendants undermined the credibility of the justice system,' the court said.
(Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat and Chayut Setboonsarng, Editing by Martin Petty)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
7 hours ago
- The Star
Court rejects house arrest for Colombia ex-president Uribe during appeal
FILE PHOTO: Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe speaks to the press after attending his first criminal trial hearing, pleading not guilty to procedural fraud and witness bribery charges, in Bogota, Colombia February 10, 2025. REUTERS/Nathalia Angarita/File photo
The Star
13 hours ago
- The Star
More Republican governors send National Guard to Washington, backing Trump
Members of the National Guard patrol after U.S. President Donald Trump deployed the force and ordered an increased presence of federal law enforcement to assist in crime prevention, in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 18, 2025. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno (Reuters) -Hundreds of additional National Guard troops are headed to Washington, D.C., from half a dozen Republican-led states, bolstering President Donald Trump's aggressive move to flood the city with soldiers and federal agents in what he says is an effort to fight violent crime. The Republican governors of Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee agreed to deploy troops to Washington, days after the Republican governors of West Virginia, South Carolina, and Ohio also did so at the Trump administration's request. Trump has characterized Washington as overrun with violence and homelessness, a description local officials have rejected. Federal and city statistics show violent crime rates have dropped sharply since a spike in 2023, though the city's murder rate remains higher than most other big U.S. cities. Trump announced on August 11 he had ordered 800 Guard troops to the city and temporarily taken control of the city's police department, an extraordinary exercise of presidential power over the U.S. capital. The federal government also dispatched agents from numerous agencies, including the FBI, to patrol the city's streets. Following a legal challenge filed by the city's attorney general, the administration negotiated a deal with Mayor Muriel Bowser to keep Police Chief Pamela Smith in charge of the department's operations. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said he had approved the deployment of about 135 Guard soldiers to Washington, while Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said he had ordered 200 soldiers to the capital. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has also deployed 160 Guard troops to the city, according to local media reports. "Crime is out of control there, and it's clear something must be done to combat it," Reeves said in a statement. In total, the six Republican states have announced deployments of more than 1,100 Guard troops to Washington. TESTING LIMITS Guard soldiers, most of whom have civilian jobs and serve part-time, often respond to natural disasters and other emergencies. While the National Guard in Washington reports to the president, governors typically control the Guard in their own states. Trump tested that authority in June, when he ordered thousands of National Guard troops and active-duty Marines into Los Angeles as protests over his administration's immigration raids flared up. The deployment came despite opposition from California's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom. A federal judge in San Francisco is weighing whether Trump's actions in Los Angeles were illegal, after California sued the administration. Federal law generally forbids the use of the military in law enforcement, but there are exceptions, including for National Guard troops that are under state command, such as California's. In 2020, during Trump's first administration, the White House requested Guard troops from numerous states to help restore order in Washington in the wake of racial justice protests. Then-Attorney General Bill Barr said the National Guard remained under state command and was used to protect federal buildings and personnel. Even so, Barr said their duties would include controlling crowds, temporarily detaining people, and conducting "cursory" searches, activities usually associated with police. Critics said the 2020 experience in Washington potentially opened the way for the president to use armed troops against civilians. Trump has suggested he could target additional Democrat-led cities, though he would likely face more legal obstacles than in Washington, where the federal government still has broad oversight under the law. A White House official said on Tuesday that Guard troops in Washington may carry arms but were not making arrests. Instead, the soldiers are protecting federal property and providing "a safe environment for law enforcement officers to make arrests." Some 465 arrests have been made in the 12 days since the Trump administration's operations began, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on X on Tuesday, an average of 39 arrests a day. The city's Metropolitan Police Department arrested an average of 61 adults and juveniles per day in 2024, according to city statistics. (Reporting by Joseph Ax; Additional reporting by Tom Hals; Editing by Frank McGurty and Rod Nickel)
The Star
14 hours ago
- The Star
Mexico's Sheinbaum says no agreement exists with DEA on 'Project Portero'
FILE PHOTO: Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks during a press conference in Mexico City, Mexico, July 14, 2025. REUTERS/Raquel Cunha/File Photo MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum on Tuesday said her government did not have an agreement with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration over an operation known as "Project Portero" after the DEA announced this project. The DEA on Monday said in a statement it was launching a "bold bilateral initiative" with Mexico aimed at dismantling drug smuggling corridors. "The DEA issued this statement, we do not know on what basis. We have not reached any agreement through any of the security agencies with the DEA," Sheinbaum told a morning press conference. "We do not know why they put out this statement." Sheinbaum said Mexico's foreign ministry had been working for several months with the U.S. State Department on a security coordination agreement, which was now "practically ready" and provided a framework for coordination initiatives. This agreement prioritizes sovereignty and "territorial respect, which is to say each of us operates in our own territory," she added. A group of civil protection police officers have also been participating in a workshop in Texas, Sheinbaum said. The DEA had introduced Project Portero as a "flag ship operation aimed at dismantling cartel 'gatekeepers,'" and a "major new initiative to strengthen collaboration between the United States and Mexico in the fight against cartels." The DEA said it launched a multi-week training program at one of its intelligence centers on the southwest border, bringing together Mexican investigators and U.S. defense officials and prosecutors who would identify joint targets and coordinate strategies. Some Latin American countries have a complicated relationship with the DEA and its interventions on Mexican soil have sometimes been criticized by the government as a violation of sovereignty. Earlier this year, Washington designated some Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations, prompting Sheinbaum to say she would not accept foreign interventions or intrusions that violate Mexico's independence. (Reporting by Sarah Morland; Editing by Cassandra Garrison)
