Following public outcry over the dropping of all charges against Red Bull heir Vorayuth Yoovidhya for a traffic incident which left a police officer dead, Thailand’s Office of the Attorney General and a parliamentary committee say they will scrutinize the case for any discrepancies.
Vorayuth was wanted for hitting and killing a policeman with his luxury sports car in the early morning of September 3, 2012. Local media reported at the time that he may have been under the influence.
Attempts to cover up the crime led to the suspension of a police officer and sparked outraged in Thailand where wealthy and powerful individuals are rarely held to account for traffic accidents.
The case also sparked scrutiny of Thailand’s large income divide, the Yoovidhya family is estimated to be worth $13.1 billion in a country where the average daily income is slightly more than 10 dollars per day.
Both opposition and coalition politicians inside parliament’s judicial committee said they will hold a meeting on Wednesday to scrutinize the dropping of the charges and to see if there are any discrepancies involved.
The Office of the Attorney General also released a statement on Monday that it would conduct an internal audit of the case.
Corporate distancing
Following the public outcry, Red Bull’s parent company in Thailand, TCP Group, released a public statement distancing itself from Vorayuth last week.
Threats to boycott the energy drink and TCP Group’s other businesses forced the company to clarify that Vorayuth had little, to no role inside the company.
“TCP Group would like to clarify that Mr. Vorayuth Yoovidhya has never assumed any role in the management and daily operations of TCP Group, was never a shareholder, nor has he held any executive position within TCP Group,” the group said in a press statement.
