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Former Deputy Attorney General Nate Naksuk and former prosecutor
Chainarong Sangthongaram were sentenced to three and two years,
respectively, for abuse of power to help an individual avoid
prosecution, said the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and
Misconduct Cases in Bangkok.
They were among eight people charged with conspiring to alter
the recorded speed of the Ferrari driven by Vorayuth “Boss”
Yoovidhya to help him evade a speeding charge. The rest,
including former Police Chief Gen. Somyot Poompanmoung, were
acquitted due to a lack of evidence linking them to the
cover-up, the court said on Tuesday.
However, the court ordered all eight to be detained pending an
appeal, according to the court statement, which didn’t provide
further details. They were later released on bail, local media
reported.
Vorayuth escaped justice by fleeing abroad in a case widely
viewed as an example of how the rich and well-connected enjoy
impunity in Thailand.
He is the grandson of the late Chaleo Yoovidhya, one of the
creators of the globally famous Red Bull brand. Forbes magazine
last year listed the Yoovidhya family as Thailand’s richest with
an estimated net worth of $36 billion.
Police have said Vorayuth smashed his Ferrari into the back of a
police officer’s motorbike around dawn on a major Bangkok road
in September 2012. The officer was flung from the bike and died
at the scene. Vorayuth drove home and was later arrested.
Medical tests showed traces of alcohol and cocaine in his
bloodstream, according to police.
Vorayuth avoided further legal action by consistently failing to
meet with prosecutors, while continuing for years to live a
jet-set life. By the time prosecutors finally issued an arrest
warrant in April 2017, Vorayuth had fled abroad.
His case has been marked by numerous delays in the investigative
and judicial processes, running down the clock on most of the
charges involving the hit-and-run death of the officer. There is
a single charge left of reckless driving causing death, which
expires under the statute of limitations in 2027.
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