Red Bull scion Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, wanted for an infamous hit-and-run case from 2012, is believed to be in Austria, though the Royal Thai Police (RTP) have no evidence of his residency there.
The claim was made by vice chairman of the House committee on police affairs, Sanya Nilsupan, after a meeting with the RTP that concentrated on Mr Vorayuth’s whereabouts.
Mr Sanya said the search for Mr Vorayuth is still on, and that the police believe the fugitive is living in Austria.
As Interpol has issued a red notice for his arrest, the RTP’s foreign affairs division has sent a letter to its Austrian counterpart to verify if he is living there and track him down.
The committee, however, is not planning on questioning other members of the Yoovidhya family, Mr Sanya said, adding they were not involved in the hit-and-run and as such, aren’t expected to cooperate.
Instead, the Palang Pracharath Party MP said the panel will focus on officials who can track down Mr Vorayuth and bring him home to face justice.
He added the investigation into 18 officials who were accused of helping Mr Vorayuth get off the hook would wrap up next month.
Mr Vorayuth postponed his court appearances more than five times before fleeing abroad
While he was overseas, a speeding charge against him was dropped after its one-year statute of limitations expired. A second charge — failing to stop to help a crash victim — expired on Sept 3, 2017.
Two charges remain active — the first was for narcotics use after cocaine was found in his system following a drug test. That charge will expire on Sept 3 next year.
The second charge — reckless driving causing death — will expire in 2027.
The Office of the Attorney-General initially planned to drop the charge, but later decided to pursue it after a public uproar.
