Thailand’s Red Bull heir: key defence witness in hit-and-run case dies in road crash

Charuchart Martthong was killed early on Thursday in a motorbike accident in the northern city of Chiang Mai

He told investigators that Red Bull heir Vorayuth ‘Boss’ Yoovidhya was not speeding when his Ferrari struck and killed a policeman in Bangkok in 2012

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Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya’s grandfather co-founded energy drink company Red Bull. Photo: AP

Published: 10:09pm, 30 Jul 2020Updated: 5:22am, 31 Jul 2020

Thai police said they are investigating the death on Thursday of a defence witness to a fatal hit-and-run case involving the heir to the Red Bull billions, days after it emerged his testimony helped clear the scion of wrongdoing.

Charuchart Martthong was killed in a motorbike accident in the northern Thailand city of Chiang Mai.

Earlier this week Charuchart was named as a key witness who told investigators that Red Bull heir Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya was not speeding when his Ferrari struck and killed a policeman in Bangkok in 2012.

His account, apparently delivered several years after the incident, led police and prosecutors to drop all charges against Vorayuth, sparking public outrage at the perceived culture of impunity enjoyed by Thailand’s rich and powerful.

The outcry prodded embattled Premier Prayuth Chan-ocha to set up an investigation into why the high-profile case was dropped years before the statute of limitations on several charges – including reckless driving – expired.

The probe Prayuth ordered – as well as two others the police and attorney general said they would conduct after last week’s furore erupted – would likely have seen Charuchart questioned again.

But police said he was killed in a motorbike accident, and they were investigating the cause.

“Police are gathering forensic evidence and witnesses,” deputy police spokesman Krisana Pattanacharoen said in a statement.