Flaws and irregularities have been found in the Thong Lor police handling of a 2012 hit-and-run case involving an heir to the Red Bull energy drink empire.
Partial findings of a preliminary investigation into the officers' conduct were disclosed by deputy national police chief Pol Gen Pongsapat Pongcharoen yesterday.
The report came from acting Bangkok police chief Pol Lt Gen Sanit Mahathaworn, who was assigned to probe the investigators at Thong Lor station responsible for the case involving Vorayudh “Boss” Yoovidhya.
Mr Vorayudh was allegedly driving the speeding Ferrari that crashed into a traffic policeman's motorcycle, killing the officer, in the early hours of Sept 3, 2012.
Mr Vorayudh was charged with reckless driving causing death, failing to help a crash victim and speeding, the last of which has the shortest statute of limitations at one year.
The inquiry focused on why Mr Vorayudh could not be indicted before the one-year statute of limitations on his speeding charge expired on Sept 3, 2013.
Pol Gen Pongsapat said the several flaws and irregularities were found in Thong Lor officers' handling of the case. He declined to provide details, but said the issue of whether investigators intended to purposefully delay the case is mentioned.
The deputy police chief said further investigation was needed before any conclusive findings could be reached, and information would also be sought from public prosecutors handling the case to determine the cause of the delay.
The report also focuses on why police failed to issue an arrest warrant for the suspect before the statute of limitations expired.
The report will be presented on Tuesday to national police chief Chakthip Chaijinda, Pol Gen Pongsapat said, adding that a police inspector-general may be assigned to gather additional information and help assign responsibility for the failures.
Any police officers found to have mishandled the case will face disciplinary action, as well as criminal action if they were involved in malfeasance, Pol Gen Pongsapat said.
The investigators responsible for the case were also criticised for their decision not to charge Mr Vorayudh with drink-
driving, a charge that has a statute of limitations of five years.
When Mr Vorayudh turned himself in to police, he was tested for alcohol at Samitivej Hospital, close to Thong Lor Police station, instead of the Police General Hospital. His blood alcohol level exceeded the legal limit, though police noted in their case files that Mr Vorayudh had only consumed alcohol after the accident due to "stress".
Prosecutors earlier said they had indicted Mr Vorayudh on all three charges, but failed to proceed with the case due to the suspect’s requests for “fair treatment”. A series of petitions by Mr Vorayudh slowed the proceedings.
One day before the statute of limitations for the speeding charge was due to expire on Sept 3, 2013, Mr Vorayudh’s lawyer asked for a postponement on the grounds his client was in Singapore and had fallen ill.
Prosecutors suspected Mr Vorayudh was trying to delay the case and asked police to seek an arrest warrant. But this did not happen because Mr Vorayudh again requested fair treatment.