Panel investigates dropping of 'Boss' charges

Vorayuth Yoovidhya was arrested on Sept 3, 2012, hours after his black Ferrari rammed into a motorcycle, killing Pol Sgt Maj Wichian Klanprasert of Thong Lor police station. (Bangkok Post file photo)
Vorayuth Yoovidhya was arrested on Sept 3, 2012, hours after his black Ferrari rammed into a motorcycle, killing Pol Sgt Maj Wichian Klanprasert of Thong Lor police station. (Bangkok Post file photo)

The Office of the Attorney-General (OAG) has set up a panel to look into the decision of prosecutors to drop charges against Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhya, after the eight-year fatal hit-and-run case came to an end with the final allegation dropped by prosecutors.

Deputy OAG spokesman Prayuth Petchkhun said in a statement released on Sunday that Deputy Attorney-General Somsak Tiyawanich will lead a seven-member panel to investigate the decision of prosecutors to drop the charges against the Red Bull scion.

The case effectively ended when the Southern Bangkok Criminal Litigation Department decided in June to acquit him on an allegation of reckless driving that killed Pol Sgt Maj Wichian Klanprasert on Sept 3, 2012. The Royal Police Office (RPO) later agreed with the acquittal.

Mr Vorayuth's black Ferrari rammed into the police motorcycle on Sukhumvit Road. He then fled the scene to his house.

Sunday's statement was the first time that the OAG broke silence on the issue after the decision of prosecutors to drop the final charge was first reported on CNN on Thursday.

The working group has been asked to conduct the investigation quickly. It will probe the reasons for prosecutors not to pursue the charges and whether their decisions were in line with all laws and regulations, Mr Prayuth said.

"Mr Vorayuth can now return to Thailand without any problem. At this moment, we don’t know where he [Boss] is,” deputy police spokesman Pol Col Kissana Phathanacharoen said on Friday.

The OAG was under pressure to explain to the public why the case has been closed after years of legal inaction

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Vocabulary

  • acquit: to state officially that someone is not guilty of the crime they were accused of - ตัดสินให้พ้นโทษ
  • acquittal: an official judgment in a court of law that someone is not guilty of the crime they were accused of - การตัดสินให้พ้นโทษ
  • Attorney-General: the top legal officer in some countries, who advises the leader of the government - อัยการสูงสุด
  • drop the charges: to decide that the accusations made against a person are not correct and should not be taken to court - ยกฟ้อง
  • inaction: lack of action - ความเฉื่อยชา, ความเกียจคร้าน
  • investigation: the process of trying to find out all the details or facts about something in order to discover who or what caused it or how it happened - การสอบสวน, การตรวจสอบหาข้อเท็จจริง
  • litigation: the use of the legal system to settle a disagreement - การฟ้องร้อง ดำเนินคดี
  • Office of the Attorney-General (noun): the main agency responsible for criminal prosecution, legal advice to state agencies, representation of government in court and for international cooperation in criminal matters - สำนักงานอัยการสูงสุด
  • probe: an attempt to find out the truth about an issue, problem or accident, made by an official group (or by the media); an investigation - การตรวจสอบ  การสอบสวน
  • prosecutors (noun): lawyers whose job is to prove in court that someone accused of a crime is guilty อัยการ - อัยการ
  • rammed: hit or pushed with force - กระแทก
  • reckless: not thinking about the possible bad effects of your actions - สะเพร่า
  • scion (noun): a young member of a family, especially a famous or important one - ทายาท

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