Ex- Police Chief Avoids Jail in "Boss" Hit-and-Run Case; Prosecutors Sentenced

BANGKOK, April 22 (TNA) - A Thai court on Tuesday acquitted a former national police chief but sentenced two former public prosecutors in connection with the manipulation of evidence in a hit-and-run case involving Red Bull heir Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhya.

The Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases found former police chief Somyot Poompanmoung not guilty in the case where he and seven others were accused of altering evidence to reduce the estimated speed of Vorayuth's car at the time of a fatal 2012 crash.

However, former deputy attorney-general Net Naksuk was sentenced to three years in prison, and former senior prosecutor, Chainarong Saengthong-aram, received a two-year jail term.

The charges stemmed from allegations that the defendants conspired to change the recorded speed of Vorayuth's Ferrari from 177 km/h to 79.22 km/h to help him avoid or lessen punishment.

Vorayuth was accused of crashing his sports car into a police officer on a motorcycle in Bangkok in the early hours of September 3, 2012, killing him.

All eight defendants had denied the charges and were released on bail of 200,000 baht each during the trial.

The court's ruling saw Somyot and other police officials involved in the initial investigation cleared, while the two prosecutors were found guilty. - 819 (TNA)