Red Bull heir faces arrest in Thailand
Bangkok, April 27: Thai prosecutors vowed on Thursday to seek the first arrest warrant for the heir to the Red Bull fortune after he dodged the latest summons to hear charges over a 2012 hit-and-run in his Ferrari that left a policeman dead.
The threat comes after years of public anger over the lack of progress in a case that critics say highlights the impunity enjoyed by the wealthy and well-connected.
Worayuth Yoovidhya, whose nickname is “Boss”, was 27 when he allegedly smashed his Ferrari into a cop in the early hours of the morning, dragging the body for several hundred metres before fleeing the scene of the crash.
The scion, whose father is Thailand’s fourth-richest billionaire, has never showed up for a formal indictment, allowing some of the charges against him to expire.
After Worayuth missed the latest summons on Thursday, prosecutors promised to request an arrest warrant, which has never been issued for the princeling.
“If the suspect doesn’t show up by 4 pm today, tomorrow we will send a letter to Thonglor police station to ask the court for an arrest warrant immediately,” Prayut Bejraguna, a spokesman for the the attorney-general’s office, told reporters.
Prosecutors said they would also explore extraditing Worayuth, who has paraded his flashy lifestyle on social media over the years with frequent trips overseas. His lawyer has said Worayuth is on business in the UK and unable to return to Bangkok.
“If our (extradition) request fails we can ask UK police to renew the case while we support them with details,” said Amnat Chotchai, the head of the A-G’s foreign division.