‘Red notice’ for fugitive Red Bull heir issued

INTERPOL has issued a “red notice” to arrest the fugitive Thai heir to the Red Bull billions for his role in a fatal hit-andrun, police said on Sunday.

The move by the international police organisation is the latest in the years-long saga surrounding Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya who crashed his Ferrari in 2012, killing a police officer.

The charges against Vorayuth, who is the grandson of Red Bull’s co-founder, were dropped in July – sparking public outrage from Thais who saw it as an example of impunity enjoyed by the kingdom’s elite.

It spurred probes by various government agencies, including the Attorney General’s Office which last month announced fresh charges against Vorayuth of reckless driving causing death and cocaine use.

Na t i o n a l Po l i c e d e p u t y spokesman Colonel Kissana Phathanacharoen confirmed on Sunday that a red notice – Interpol’s most urgent alert – was issued earlier this week.

“After we received the confirmation, we then passed our request to 194 member countries asking for assistance from them.

“We have to do whatever it takes to ultimately bring him back to the country because it is a serious crime,” he said.

However, the “red notice” for Vorayuth had not been published on Interpol’s website as of Sunday afternoon. The fugitive heir fled the country back in 2017 on a private jet.

After charges against him were dropped in July, a probe conducted by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha’s office concluded the entire investigation had been “compromised”.

The public outcry over Vorayuth came at a particularly tense period for the government, coinciding with near-daily protests across Thailand led by prodemocracy student leaders calling for Prayut’s resignation.

Protesters carried cardboard cut-outs of Red Bull’s logo to sy mbolise t hei r a nger at t he militar y-a ligned government, which enjoys close a l l ia nces wit h t he k ingdom’s billionaire fa milies.

The clan of Red Bull co-founder Chaleo Yoovidhya is Thailand’s second richest, boasting a fortune estimated at $20.2 billion according to Forbes.