A former senior prosecutor for the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG) has filed a lawsuit against a former forensic officer who changed the recorded speed of the infamous hit-and-run case of Red Bull scion Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhya in 2012.
Chainarong Saengthong-aram and his lawyer Paisan Chuarphon on Tuesday filed a lawsuit with Bangkok South Criminal Court against Pol Col Thanasit Taengchan, a former officer from the Office of Police Forensic Science who inspected the hit-and-run scene in 2012 and later changed his statement to lower the car speed of Mr Vorayuth's Ferrari from 177kph to 79kph.
Mr Paisan claimed that Pol Col Thanasit wrongly identified Mr Chainarong as part of a group of people who forged documents, fabricated the evidence and edited the audio record that convinced the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), the Public Prosecutors Commission (PPC) and the independent panel, led by Vicha Mahakun, that looked into irregularities surrounding this notorious hit-and-run case that Mr Chainarong took part in tampering with the evidence.
The PPC sacked Mr Chainarong in December last year.
When asked why Mr Chainarong filed the charge on Tuesday, Mr Paisan said it took time for the lawyer team to gather all evidence before filing the lawsuit against Pol Col Thanasit. Mr Chainarong will also look for more evidence to find other accomplices.
Mr Vorayuth has been on the run since his Ferrari fatally hit a Thong Lor police officer on Sept 3, 2012.
Several charges against him were dropped, including a speeding charge, after its one-year statute of limitations expired in 2013, followed by another charge of failing to help a crash victim, which expired in 2017.
The only remaining charge against him is reckless driving causing death, which carries a penalty of up to 10 years in jail and has a 15-year statute of limitations, which will expire in 2027.
On Feb 27 this year, the attorney-general indicted former national police chief Somyot Poompanmoung and seven others, including Mr Chainarong and Nate Naksuk, a former deputy attorney general, for their alleged attempts to whitewash Mr Vorayuth.
The indictment was based on a recommendation from the NACC, which handled the case in line with the work of the probe committee under former graftbuster Vicha, a source said.
The panel was set up by the former Prayut Chan-o-cha administration in 2020 in response to a public uproar over a decision by Mr Nate to drop charges against Vorayuth.
