Deputy AG fails to show up at an independent hearing into the dropping of ‘Boss’ charges

At yesterday’s hearing into the dropping of the Boss Yoovidhya ‘reckless driving causing death’ charge, the man who approved the dropping of the charges didn’t even bother turning up.

A panel, headed by a former chairman of a constitution drafting body, Borwornsak Uwanno, summonsed Deputy Attorney-General Nate Naksuk to give statements at the independent committee looking into what lead to the dropped charges. But was a no-show at the hearings.

The deputy spokesman of the Office of the Attorney General, Prayuth Phetkhun, along with a group of prosecutors involved in the case, attended yesterday’s hearing. The hearing lasted about 5 hours.

There have been three committees set up to look into the dropping of the most serious of the charges against Boss, the ‘reckless driving causing death’ charge. The decision, not initially made public in Thailand but published in a CNN.com news article, sparked public outrage. The first committee was set up by Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-chaThe other 2 were launched by the Office of Attorney-General and the Royal Thai Police Office to examine their roles in the imbroglio.

Borwornsak Uwanno says he will be making sure the Deputy AG shows up to clarify his role in the issue. He didn’t provide any comments about why the Deputy AG didn’t attend the hearing.

“He will have to appear before the panel eventually.”

2 other people involved in the Red Bull heir’s case were able to provide valuable evidence.

• Somjai Tosukolwan served as deputy chief of the Department of Southern Bangkok Litigation when the case was handed to the prosecution.

• Nipaporn Rujanawong recommended that consideration of Mr Vorayuth’s petition calling for fair treatment should be dropped.

Mr Borwornsak said the hit-and-run case exposed what were deemed as weaknesses in the country’s Attorney General justice administration processes. Arising from the proceedings, it was found the Boss Yoovidhya, through his lawyers, used the ‘petition for fair treatment’ to stall the cases and Boss’s appearances in front of a Court.

Boss petitioned more than 10 times for ‘fair treatment’. The independent investigation panel has been gathering information about where and how those petitions were submitted.

The case has been meandering through the legal system since September, 2012 when the grey Ferrari, driven by Vorayuth ‘Boss’ Yoovidhya crashed into the back of a motorcycle driven by a 47 year old policeman who was killed after being dragged along the road for 100 metres in Thong Lor, Bangkok.

Boss was able to evade appearing in Court to face a series of charges for around 10 times citing ‘business meetings’ and questioning his ‘fair treatment’ as reasons for non-appearance at the hearings. He eventually Fred the country in 2017 using the family’s private jet, flying to Singapore, abandoning the plane and then making his way to the UK. He has been seen at Red Bull events since – the media have been able to track him down a number of times and snap photos.

Hearings will continue into the decision to drop the final charges against Boss today and tomorrow.