Police to Slap ‘Boss Red Bull’ With New Interpol Red Notice

Pol Maj Gen Apichart Suriboonya, chief of the Royal Thai Police's Foreign Affairs Division, speaks at a news conference about Vorayuth Yoovidhaya's flight from Thailand on May 1, 2017.

BANGKOK — The police are in the process of requesting the Interpol to issue a new Red Notice to bring Red Bull fortune heir Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya back to face justice in Thailand, spokesman Pol Col Kissana Phathanacharoen said. 

Kissana said on the phone Wednesday afternoon that Vorayuth is now charged with reckless driving causing death and consuming class-two drugs for killing a policeman with his Ferrari in 2012. The immigration will contact the Interpol and its 197 member states asking for Vorayuth’s whereabouts. Per usual, no deadline was given. 

“We don’t know how long the process will take but we are doing it as quickly as we can,” Col. Kissana said. 

Read: Prayut Tells Police to Speed Up ‘Boss Red Bull’ Extradition

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Kissana also confirmed the police previously asked the Interpol to withdraw its Red Notice on Vorayuth. He said the move was in accordance with the decision by the prosecutors to drop charges against the billionaire in July. 

The notice appears to be taken down in 2018. At the time, Kissana said the police were not involved in withdrawing the Red Notice. Asked today when the police asked the Interpol to remove the Red Notice on Vorayuth, Kissana said he couldn’t remember. 

Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-ocha on Sept. 1 admitted that police and prosecutors have mishandled the case and threatened to take actions against those involved.

Prayut said at least 10 people were implicated by the fact-finding panel set up by him to look into alleged misconduct over the prosecutors’ decision to drop all charges against Vorayuth earlier this year in July.

Vorayuth is accused of crashing his Ferrari into Sgt. Maj. Wichian Klanprasert, a policeman on patrol duty, and killing him in 2012 at a red light district of Thong Lor.

The case never made it to the court and Vorayuth fled the kingdom days before the original arrest warrant was issued.

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Kissana said police do not know in which country Vorayuth is now residing, but they will ask Interpol member countries to look for him in order to begin an extradition effort. Vorayuth’s previous known residence was London, and he was last seen in Taiwan in 2017, according to the Associated Press. 

“We are awaiting answers about his whereabouts from member states,” Kissan said.

The new legal charges have a statute of limitation of 15 years.