After 4 years, Red Bull heir faces only 2 charges

The latest updates show he will face just two of four possible charges.
Authorities are preparing to prosecute Vorayuth, grandson of the late Red Bull founder Chaleo Yoovidhya, for reckless driving resulting in a person’s death and property damage, and failing to help the victim and alert nearby officials. By now, it is clear that he will be able to avoid prosecution for speeding and drunk driving.
Disciplinary probes are underway to determine whether investigators favoured Vorayuth, who is from an extremely wealthy family.
Pol Colonel Wiradon Tabtimdee, one of the officials facing the probe, insisted yesterday that he followed legal procedures.
 Prayut Bejraguna, deputy spokesman of the Office of the Attorney- General, said police had recommended pressing just two charges from the very beginning, as there was no hard evidence proving drunk driving and speeding.
“But public prosecutors disagreed. Public prosecutors issued an order to pursue the additional charge of speeding against him,” he said amid growing public cynicism that rich people quietly enjoy special legal privileges.
Prayut said the statute of limitations for the speeding charge had expired. Vorayuth’s lawyers have kept filing petitions with his office, citing the need to check additional issues that police investigation reports had not covered, he said. “So we kept asking investigators to improve their reports again and again,” he said. “Had we not done so, we could’ve been accused of abusing our authority.”
Then on September 2, 2013, Vorayuth’s lawyers suddenly submitted a letter to public prosecutors stating that the suspect could not appear in court because he had fallen ill in Singapore.
“The letter was submitted just one day before the statute of limitations related to speeding expired. That’s why the expiration happened,” said Somnuk Siangkong, spokesman for the AGO. However, he tried to downplay the damage incurred due to the expired statute of limitations.
“Speeding is punishable by up to Bt1,000 only,” he said.
Offenders are punished only for the most serious crime anyway when their case went to court, he said.
“In this case, the harshest punishment will come from the reckless driving that caused the death of another person,” he said. “We’re preparing to take him to court on this count.”
Prayut said state attorneys would definitely prosecute Vorayuth before the statute of limitations for the more serious charges expired.