Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant but a tool to track the fugitive which can be followed up with his arrest and extradition proceedings. Some concern has also been raised that the now 38-year-old wanted man may be using a non-Thai passport to avoid being detected.
The Royal Thai Police is reported to have reached out to the world’s largest police network, Interpol, with a request to have a Red Notice issued for the scion of the Red Bull family Vorayuth ‘Boss’ Yoovidhya who is wanted on renewed charges linked with the death of an on-duty policeman in September 2012. A Royal Thai Police spokesman, on Sunday, confirmed that the Red Notice has now been issued and copied to police agencies worldwide.
In Bangkok, it is being reported that a Red Notice has been sought by Thai police to locate Vorayuth ‘Boss’ Yoovidhya who is understood to be facing renewed criminal charges in a relation to the hit and run death of Police Sergeant Wichian Klanprasert on Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok in the early hours of 3rd September 2012.
Reports suggest that the Foreign Affairs Division have made contact with Interpol, headquartered in Lyon France, in connection with the case.
New charges decided on against ‘Boss’ Vorayuth in September including cocaine abuse and causing death
On September 18th last, following several explosive reports outlining corruption, malpractice and an overarching conspiracy concerning previous failed attempts to bring the now 38-year-old Red Bull heir to justice, Thai prosecutors indicated that new charges will be brought against Mr Vorayuth in relation to cocaine abuse and causing the death of the on-duty police officer while driving a Ferrari supercar in what was reported as a hit and run when Mr Vorayuth ‘s car hit the policeman riding a motorcycle from behind and dragged his body for 150 yards following the fatal impact.
The case generated uproar in the kingdom after it was revealed, on July 24th, by a senior police officer at a regular briefing for the press, that all outstanding charges against the wealthy young man had been dropped by a local prosecutor and that he was consequently free to return to Thailand without fear of arrest.
Fugitive already faces arrest in Thailand
This situation has now been reversed and the Immigration Bureau has confirmed that it has instructions to detain the fugitive if he enters Thailand. His name and details of the case have been entered on the country’s live biometric database system.
However, this week’s announcement does not make it clear what the nature of the Red Notice issued in relation to ‘Boss’ Vorayuth entails. For a start, we will need to find out if the Red Notice issued is one in the public domain.
A small minority, approximately 11% of Interpol Red Notice alerts are in the public domain and these are largely confined to cases where the target of the notice poses a risk to public safety or where the cooperation of the public is sought.
The Red Notice will, it is thought, help Thai police to track down the high profile suspect who fled Thailand in April 2017 on a private jet ahead of his arrest on charges brought nearly 5 years after the incident.
Not an automatic arrest warrant but could lead to Mr Vorayuth’s arrest by foreign police agencies
It is also reported that the Interpol Red Notice does not, per se, amount to an international arrest warrant against the Red Bull heir.
It will, however, assist Thai police in tracking the fugitive down and once they have identified his location, they can request assistance from police in other countries to arrest him on foot of extradition proceedings if charges are pending against Mr Vorayuth and an applicable treaty of extradition exists.
There has been some concern raised that Mr Vorayuth may be able to bypass any Interpol notice as the government request to the international police agency specifies that he is travelling on a Thai passport.
This has led to fears that if Mr Vorayuth is using a passport issued by another country, he may evade detection by international police.
Notice should detail the subjects nationality and physicall characteristics to allow other police agencies to track him down
A previous Red notice for Mr Voaruyut in 2017 later appeared to have disappeared from public view in 2018.
The notice itself will detail Mr Vorayuth’s physical characteristics, his nationality and the crime he is wanted for in Thailand.
Properly used, the international Red Notice is an effective tool that has been successful in bringing those who take flight from justice before a court many years after the original crime has been committed.
Police spokesman confirmed the move
On Sunday, Police Colonel Krissana Pattanacharoen of the Royal Thai Police confirmed that the Red Notice Interpol alert had been issued to police forces and agencies across 194 countries.
‘After we received the confirmation, we then passed our request to 194 member countries asking for assistance from them,’ he told the news agency AFP.
He indicated that Thai authorities are determined that Mr Vorayuth will ultimately be brought back to Thailand to stand trial on the resurrected charges relating to the death of the policeman in 2012.
‘We have to do whatever it takes to ultimately bring him back to the country because it is a serious crime,’ Police Colonel Krissana stated.
Premier has given open access to investigators into the controversy since it erupted in August
The controversy surrounding the affair has damaged the government of Premier Prayut Chan ocha although the PM has given investigative panels full access and latitude to examine witnesses and evidence to report on their affair.
This has resulted in damning conclusions into the way the case was handled from the outset.
The accused is a scion of what is reportedly Thailand’s second richest family and the scandal has found resonance amongst the messages of anti-government protests currently sweeping the kingdom led by a radical student movement.
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Further reading:
Assistant Attorney General in Red Bull case named as a senior prosecutor to central Bangkok district
Murder charge against ‘Boss’ Yoravuth should have been weighed after mowing down policeman
Explosive report on the Red Bull scandal exposing ‘corruption’ due at the Prime Minister’s office
Boss Vorayuth case key witness dies riding his motorbike early on Thursday morning in Chiang Mai
Expert stands by evidence that Red Bull Boss Vorayuth’s Ferrari was travelling at 177 km/ph
Strong new evidence suggests that there was no basis to prosecute Red Bull driver ‘Boss’ Vorayuth
A politically incorrect economic success: Thailand is home to some of the world’s richest people
PM calls in business tycoons to help the country crawl back to economic normality after virus
A politically incorrect economic success: Thailand is home to some of the world’s richest people
