The Public Prosecutor Commission on Tuesday decided not to set up a panel to investigate Deputy Attorney-General Nate Naksuk over his decision to drop Red Bull scion Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhya's reckless driving causing death charge in the 2012 hit-and-run case.
Athapol Yaisawang, head of the Department of the Public Prosecutor Commission, said that a meeting of the commission decided with a vote of five, with nine abstentions.
The commission reasoned that the proposed panel would duplicate another panel set up by the attorney-general to review the case, Mr Athapol said.
He added that the attorney-general has not yet approved the resignation tendered by Mr Nate. The attorney-general has the authority to put on hold the resignation for three months, Mr Athapol said.
Previously, Mr Nate defended his decision to drop the charge against Mr Vorayuth in his resignation letter, saying the decision was above board.
With the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG) coming under mounting pressure as a result of his decision in the hit-and-run case, he thought it best to resign to protect its image, an OAG source said previously.
To date, three panels have been formed to look into the dropping of the reckless driving causing death charge, after the decision sparked a public outcry.
One was set up by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and headed by former National Anti-Corruption commissioner Vicha Mahakhun, and the other two were launched by the Office of the Attorney-General and the Royal Thai Police Office to look into their roles in the case.
A police source said the police panel was preparing to seek an arrest warrant for Mr Vorayuth on a charge of cocaine abuse after the panel asked medical experts for their opinions about substances found in Mr Vorayuth's system.
The panel will also summon another three witnesses this week to testify on the speed of the Red Bull scion's Ferrari when it crashed into the victim, a policeman, in the 2012 hit-and-run case.
Pol Lt Col Thanasit Taengchan, an officer from the Office of Police Forensic Science who examined the hit-and-run scene in 2012, on Tuesday appeared before the panel led by Mr Vicha to give information on the car's speed.
