Thai immigration police say Red Bull heir left for Singapore
BANGKOK: Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhya, the fugitive heir to the Red Bull fortune who is being sought for the hearing of his hit-and-run case in 2012, left Thailand for Singapore three days before an arrest warrant was issued for him.
Vorayuth, 31, entered Thailand on April 23 and departed on April 25 for Singapore, immigration police revealed yesterday, Bangkok newspaper The Nation reported.
It was not clear from where he had entered Thailand, although he was last seen in London prior to his April 27 indictment, which he failed to attend.
The Associated Press reported that his private jet was still in Singapore as of yesterday, citing airport authorities.
Vorayuth has spent years evading hearings over charges linked to the death of a policeman, Mr Wichian Klinprasert, whom he allegedly ran over in his Ferrari and killed in 2012 in Bangkok's wealthy Thong Lor neighbourhood.
An arrest warrant was issued for Vorayuth last Friday after he failed to meet prosecutors for a decision on his indictment a day earlier. Thai police said on Monday they were seeking Interpol's assistance to locate him.
Immigration police chief Natthorn Phrosunthorn said that Vorayuth had left the country before the arrest warrant was issued.
He said Thong Lor police investigators did not ban him from travelling abroad as the case stemmed from recklessness rather than a serious case with criminal intent. Therefore, he said, the Immigration Bureau was not authorised to stop him.
There is no extradition treaty between Singapore and Thailand.
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