Cops move ahead with ‘Boss’ case
Police have inched forward in their bid to bring back fugitive Vorayuth ‘Boss’ Yoovidhya to Thailand to face prosecution for a fatal hit-and-run incident, after they completed the English version of documents seeking the Red Bull scion’s extradition.
A police source said the Metropolitan Police Bureau yesterday sent the extradition request to the Royal Thai Police’s Foreign Affairs division and national police chief Chakthip Chaijinda for approval — the final steps required before police can forward the request to the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG).
The Royal Thai Police are expected to take only “two or three days” before they pass the documents on to prosecutors, who need the investigation report in English in order to proceed with the extradition request, the source said.
The source said it is still unclear in which country Mr Vorayuth is living.
Interpol’s Office in Singapore earlier informed Thai authorities he was spotted in Singapore before travelling to an unspecified destination on April 27.
His frequent appearances abroad and claims of illness have been blamed for causing delays in the case.
On Sept 3, 2013, Mr Vorayuth, known for having a lavish lifestyle, crashed his Ferrari into the rear of a motorcycle, killing its rider Pol Snr Sgt Maj Wichian Klanprasert, a Thong Lor traffic officer.
The suspect has faced a total of four charges and has already escaped two — speeding and reckless driving causing damage to other’s property — because their one-year statute of limitations expired in September 2013.
Amnat Chotchai, director-general of the OAG’s International Affairs Department, fearing the statute of limitations on Mr Vorayuth’s two remaining charges will expire before he is brought to justice, had asked police to speed up the translation of their findings.
Similarly, police chief Pol Lt Gen Sanit Mahathavorn has expressed a wish to see the process to bring Mr Vorayuth back sped up, vowing to do the job himself if it carries on moving at a snail’s pace.