Red Bull Heir Thrust Into Scandal

Current estimates claim that the Red Bull franchise is worth just over $20 billion dollars. Founded by the late Chaleo Yoovidhya, this company began marketing energy drinks to the local Thai population before expanding its operations to service the entire globe. Red Bull is now a true empire and one of the most popular brands on the planet. This is why any situation which develops into a scandal is bound to garner a fair amount of negative publicity; particularly when referring to individuals who may appear to be able to get away wit a crime due to their high status.

This exact same scenario began to play out in September 2012. Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya was driving his black Ferrari when he collided with an on-duty motorcycle police officer. Reports claim that he then proceeded to drag this officer underneath the vehicle; leading to his death. Yoovidhya then returned to his mansion; apparently well aware of what had just taken place. Authorities were nonetheless able to eventually track him down due to oil stains on the road that led to his residence. As a result, Yoovidhya was charged with several crimes. These included hit and run, speeding, speeding and reckless driving that resulted in a death.

However, he would never stand trial to face these charges. After numerous delays and postponements, Yoovidhya apparently fled the country in 2017. All charges were subsequently dropped due to what authorities claimed at the time to be conflicting evidence. While he is still wanted by Interpol, little is known in regards to his current whereabouts. Had the crimes outlined above been committed by a member of the general public, such a news story would never have garnered international attention. The fact that an heir to the Red Bull fortune was involved paints an entirely different picture; one which some claim illustrates the inequity between the rich and poor throughout Thailand. However, there is a bit more than meets the eye in regards to how the case unfolded.

A Stunningly Massive Empire

In order to better appreciate the background of this case, it is first wise to briefly examine the Red Bull empire. Red Bull was initially founded in 1956 by Chaleo Yoovidhya. He originally marketed this energy drink to the local community; specifically labourers and truck drivers. It did not take long for him to realise that he had entered into a rather untapped industry. He therefore decided to expand his services in order to increase sales and revenue generation.

He then partnered with German entrepreneur Dietrich Mateschitz in 1984 in an attempt to re-brand the initial drink as well as to market it to a much larger demographic. Red Bull soon became popular amongst athletes, college students and anyone who required a short-term energy boost during any time of the day or night. When Chaleo passed away in 2012, his son was placed in charge of operations. At the time that this article was written, the family is said to own nearly half of all global Red Bull production and it is rated as one of the 50 most wealthy families in the world by Forbes.

Red Bull currently sells more than 7.5 billion cans every year to 179 different countries. It is therefore clear to see why the firm is worth so much money. This is also the reason why Red Bull and its parent company TCP Group wish to distance itself from any type of scandals. The one question which has been brought up by the general public involves whether such a vast amount of wealth may have had a direct impact upon the justice system of Thailand, the Office of the Attorney General and how the case was handled.

Why Were the Charges Dropped?

It would initially appear that the case highlighted above could have been easily solved. Not only were police able to trace the vehicle back to the legal residence of its owner, but Yoovidhya actually admitted to the authorities that he had been involved in an accident during a subsequent interview. The only portion which he contested involved the claims that he was speeding at the time of the event. This is when things become a bit murky. After having given a statement, Yoovidhya was released on $16,000 dollars bail.

Reports initially claimed that his vehicle was travelling at 177 kilometres per hour (well above the posted speed limit of 80 kilometres per hour). However the same expert who provided this report soon changed his conclusions to reflect that Yoovidhya was only travelling at 79 kilometres per hour at the time of the accident. This would have placed him just below the legal speed limit. This expert did not give any concrete explanation as to why he changed his story after evidence had already been provided. This was also the primary reason why police decided to re-evaluate the case.

Two “additional witnesses” then enter into the equation. These lorry drivers were said to be present when the incident occurred. Both stated that Yoovidhya was driving between 50 and 60 kilometres per hour; seeming to corroborate with what the expert later claimed. Had this been the end of the story, it is not likely that it would have ever made international news. However, one of the two witnesses named Jaruchart Mardthong was later killed in a similar motorcycle accident.

The Disappearing Witness

Jaruchart Mardthong gave his first statement soon after the accident occurred. However, he was asked by police to again provide testimony in December 2019. This was part of an ongoing investigation meant to determine why the charges were initially dropped back in 2017. The fact that one of the key witnesses suddenly died naturally raised eyebrows. Another piece to the puzzle involved the fact that his mobile phone was stolen immediately after he died of his injuries. Thus, some began to believe that a cover-up was taking place; perhaps fuelled by powerful individuals who had a significant amount of lose (namely, his family members at Red Bull).

It should still be pointed out that all evidence seems to suggest that Jaruchart Mardthong did indeed die from a tragic accident. Television footage showed that he collided with the wheel of another vehicle although the driver of this lorry survived. Furthermore, one of his friends was said to have taken the mobile phone; worried that his contact details may have been examined by the police. He claimed that he was planning on running for local office and did not want to be dragged into the ongoing Red Bull scandal. Even with these revelations, police still did not rule out foul play.

The reason why such a scenario appeared to be suspicious involved the timing. One of the most important witnesses suddenly died no later than day after the Thai Prime Minister himself stated that he wanted to reopen the investigation. Considering the fact that he was placing pressure upon the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), some began to connect the so-called dots.

The Reaction of the Victim’s Family

Family members of the victim have recently spoken out to express their surprise that the case had been reopened. According to them, the police had initially stated that no eyewitnesses were present at the time of the event. Another point to mention is that these witnesses claimed that the police officer cut off Yoovidhya; placing him at fault for the accident and seemingly absolving Yoovidhya from any wrongdoing. Family members of the slain officer were obviously upset at this recent turn of events.

A Modern Case with Familiar Undertones

Like many other countries around the world, Thailand is partially defined by the differences between the rich and the poor. However, these inequalities have become more apparent in recent times. This is why we have witnessed so much of a public outcry in relation to the ongoing investigation. Some feel that Yoovidhya may indeed have enough influence to sway an investigation. Others rightfully wonder why the initial trial was delayed for so long and why he was allowed to leave the country. A handful even claim that the Red Bull family has tried to coerce, modify or otherwise cover up any evidence that might lead to criminal charges being brought against Yoovidhya. They cite irregularities such as different speed analyses, witnesses who came forward at a later date, one witness who died, and the subsequent theft of his mobile phone. Are there any truth to such allegations?

Either way, the battle lines appear to have been drawn. The public (particularly those who are classified at or near the poverty level) feels that rich individuals and families enjoy an entirely different type of treatment under the law. The Office for the Attorney General states that it is reopening the investigation in order to prove that no bias was present. The Red Bull family has remained stoic and tight-lipped throughout the course of the proceedings. The whereabouts of Yoovidhya are still not known. All of these observations point to troubling times ahead.

New Evidence Emerges

Several other interesting observations should be pointed out. As part of the new investigation, authorities began to look into whether Yoovidhya had any drugs in his system at the time of the accident. Another point of contention arose when a prominent physics professor claimed to be a part of the initial investigative team. He stated that after seeing the CCTV footage of the accident, it was conclusive that the Ferrari was travelling at or around 179 kilometres per hour. This seemingly reinforced the initial analysis performed by police. The only problem here is that his assessment was never included within the official accident files. Thus, it was not available to the prosecutor when he decided to drop the case in 2017.

All of this evidence has caused the Office of the Attorney General to once again take a closer look at the case with the intention of filing additional charges against Yoovidhya.

Family Apologies

The Red Bull family tended to remain notoriously quiet throughout the investigation and subsequent allegations. It was not until relatively recently that one member expressed regret. He was quoted as apologising “for the news of our family member that has caused anger, hatred, and dissatisfaction that is increasingly voiced in society.” Red Bull also claims that the Thai justice system should not show any type of bias, discrimination or otherwise unfair treatment to the population.

Many Questions Still Left to be Answered

Perhaps the most unfortunate aspect of this case is that it is still muddled in a fair amount of mystery. Where is Yoovidhya currently located and can he be forced to return to Thailand to face possible criminal charges? Why did the initial analyst retract his claim that the driver was speeding at the time of the incident? Why did two witnesses emerge at a much later date after the family of the victim were told that no one had seen the accident? Does the stolen mobile phone story stand up to scrutiny? These and other questions have yet to be clarified.

Furthermore, Thailand has come under a significant amount of scrutiny since the case first emerged. It highlights that fact that the law may very well treat those with money quite differently; particularly when we consider that Red Bull is a massive conglomerate and a significant amount of domestic revenue is created as the result of its soft drink sales. Might justice be coerced to turn a blind eye to criminal offences as a result?

Considering that an arrest warrant for Yoovidhya is still in place after the police were asked to reinstate the order, one must wonder if he will ever return to Thailand. If so, will a new slew of charges be brought against him and how will the Red Bull family react to such a situation? While all of this is merely speculation at the moment, the chances are high that the case will not be going away any time soon.