Pol Colonel Pongpat Suksawat and his deputy Pol Lt-Colonel Somsak Polpankhang were found |to have failed to strictly follow |regulations and will be punished accordingly, provincial police |chief Pol Maj-General Sutthi Poungpikul said yesterday. He added that police should be able to submit a conclusion on the case to the |public prosecutor this week.

Deputy police spokesman Maj-General Songpol Wattanachai said yesterday that police were now considering filing an additional charge of speeding against Jenpop after it was found that his Mercedes-Benz clocked speeds of 215 to 257 kilometres per hour.

Jenpop also faces charges of reckless driving resulting in two deaths, as well as property damage and resisting arrest, as he allegedly refused to take a blood test for alcohol level.

On a separate accident case, Songpol insisted that police were not dragging their feet and had already submitted two charges against Vorayuth Yoovidhya, who four years ago rammed his Ferrari into a policeman’s motorcycle in Bangkok resulting in his death, to the public prosecutor. He said the decision to indict Vorayuth was in the prosecutor’s hands.

If indicted, Vorayuth will be taken to court over charges of reckless driving resulting in a person’s death and property damage, as well as failing to help the victim and alert officials nearby. If he fails to show up, an arrest warrant will be issued, Songpol said.

He added that police would investigate related matters including whether the Thong Lor Police Station investigator had failed or had abused his authority, and whether any attempts were made to help Vorayuth get away.

The man, so far, has been able to avoid prosecution for speeding and drunk driving on grounds of insufficient evidence.

Songpol added that there was no charge of “drunk after driving” in the law, as cited in Vorayuth’s case and that this probably stemmed from a misunderstanding.

Meanwhile, Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha had instructed officials on Tuesday to find out why the investigation into Vorayuth’s case had been delayed until the statute of limitations on the speeding charge had expired, as this could be deemed deliberate.

Also, in his capacity as member of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) overseeing justice matters, Paiboon said he would look into factors leading to the delay so people do not jump to conclusions.

Prayong Preeyajit, chief of the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission, said the agency was also looking into the Vorayuth case in line with the NCPO’s order on preventing corruption.