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EPA
Vorayuth was initially arrested after the incident, but has since failed to appear for charges
Charges against Red Bull heir Vorayuth Yoovidhaya have been dropped for the 2012 murder of a police officer.
Mr. Yoovidhaya was accused of hitting the officer with his car in the capital, Bangkok, and then running away.
He repeatedly failed to meet with police to face the charges, which include reckless driving and death.
Thai police say these charges have been dropped, but it is unclear why.
Vorayuth is the grandson of Chaleo Yoovidhaya, co-founder of the Red Bull empire with Austrian Dietrich Mateschitz. At the time of his death in 2012, Chaleo was the third-richest person in Thailand, according to Forbes magazine, with a net worth of $ 5 billion (£ 3.93 billion).
- The untouchable heir to Red Bull in Thailand
Police sergeant major Wichian Klanprasert was riding his motorcycle on Bangkok’s Sukhumvit road when he was struck by a gray Ferrari, which dragged his body over 100 meters (109 yards) down the road, before leaving.
Investigative officers followed a trail of brake fluid to a luxury home less than a kilometer away. The badly dented Ferrari was there, but police initially arrested a driver employed by the family as their prime suspect.
When they later discovered that the car had been driven by Mr. Vorayuth, who was then 27 years old, he was examined and found to have excess alcohol in his blood, but, he said, this was from drinking at home after the accident.
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Reuters
Vorayuth’s heavily battered Ferrari was found in his family’s home complex in 2012
He was arrested but then released soon after. Subsequently, he was repeatedly summoned to face charges, but each time his lawyers said he was unable to do so, citing work commitments abroad and illness.
An initial investigation team had to disband after an officer was accused of covering up Mr. Vorayuth’s involvement.
Thai authorities finally issued an arrest warrant for Mr. Vorayuth five years after the accident, after eight legal subpoenas were passed to him.
The closely watched case has fueled criticism that Thailand’s elite enjoy special treatment from the authorities.
