Former deputy attorney-general Nate Naksuk has been sentenced to three years in jail and another ex-prosecutor was given two years for helping Red Bull scion Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya in the 2012 hit-and-run in which a police officer in Bangkok was killed.
The Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases ruled on Tuesday in the case against eight defendants accused of tampering with evidence to help the scion of one of Thailand’s wealthiest families evade justice.
Former national police chief Somyot Poompanmoung and five others were acquitted of the charges.
Prosecutors had accused the eight defendants of dereliction of duty, among other offences, with the key issue being the change in the recorded speed of the Ferrari driven by Mr Vorayuth. This led to the dismissal of his indictment for reckless driving leading to a fatality.
The court ruled that Chainarong Saengthong-aram, then senior prosecutor, violated Section 172 of the Corruption Prevention and Suppression Act by collaborating to alter witness statements and reduce the reported speed of the Ferrari. He was sentenced to two years in jail.
The court found Mr Nate, then deputy attorney-general, made a decision on the case without relying on facts. This was a violation of Section 157 of the Criminal Code, dereliction of duty by a public official. He was sentenced to three years in jail.
The two men were released on bail pending their appeals, after placing 200,000 baht each as a surety.
Former national police chief Somyot Poompanmoung arrives at the court on Tuesday. He and five others were acquitted of misconduct charges stemming from the notorious 2012 hit-and-run case. (Photo: Chanat Katanyu)
The six acquitted defendants were Pol Gen Somyot, then the national police chief; Pol Maj Gen Thawatchai Mekprasertkul, then commander of the Police Forensic Science Division; Pol Col Veeradol Thapthimdee, then Thong Lor police investigation officer,; Chuchai or Pichai Lertpongasiron; Thanit Buakhiew; and Assoc Prof Saiprasit Kerdniyom, an automotive safety analyst.
Pol Gen Somyot said he felt very relieved after having his name cleared. He had faith in the Thai judicial system that he would receive justice, he added.
Mr Vorayuth crashed his Ferrari into a motorcycle driven by Pol Snr Sgt Maj Wichian Klanprasert in the early hours of Sept 3, 2012, in the Thong Lor neighbourhood of Bangkok.
Instead of stopping to help the victim, Mr Vorayuth, then 27, drove off, dragging the victim’s body for about 200 metres, without informing authorities about what he had done afterwards.
Following a long investigation, three charges were pressed against him, but he has not been brought to justice. After repeatedly failing to appear in court, he fled the country in 2017.
Mr Vorayuth is believed to spend most of his time in London where his family has property. Authorities say they have enlisted the help of Interpol to arrest the suspect but with no result so far.
Several charges against him have been dropped, including a speeding charge after its one-year statute of limitations expired in 2013, followed by another charge of failing to help an accident victim, which expired in 2017.
The last remaining charge against Mr Vorayuth, causing death by reckless driving, carries a penalty of up to 10 years in jail, and expires in September 2027.
The Yoovidhyas were Asia’s eighth wealthiest family with a net worth of $25.7 billion, according to a Bloomberg report earlier this year.
Forensic police inspect a motorcycle belonging to Pol Snr Sgt Maj Wichian Klanprasert of Thong Lor police station and a Ferrari driven by Vorayuth Yoovidhya (lower right), the youngest son of Red Bull executive Chalerm Yoovidhya, following the accident in September 2012. (Bangkok Post file photos)