What Now For the Fed Bull Heir Murderer?

[PeterRS]

There is no need to rehash the story of how the grandson of the Red Bull founder, Vorayth Yoovidya, mowed down and killed a policeman while driving his Ferrari at something like 170 kph along Sukhumvit at 5:00 in the morning in 2012 with drugs and alcohol found in his system. This murderer has used his family's billions to stay ahead of the law for ten years, even though Interpol has allegedly been involved (a fact I have disputed as his name has never appeared on any Interpol list of many thousands of wanted criminals) and he has been spotted at various locations, including here in Thailand. Coming from the 2nd wealthiest family in the country, clearly no one in the government has any intention of upsetting the elite apple cart by having him found.

Today's interesting fact is that this murderer's grandfather was a simple maker of pharmaceutical products that happened to include one energy drink named "Sprightly Red Bull". An Austrian businessman visiting Thailand tasted it and decided this was a product that could be marketed internationally. He took a share in the company and set about making it the world's best selling brand and himself a fortune estimated at US$25 billion. Red Bull is far more than a drink. It sponsors a vast number of major sports around the world, including ownership of the Red Bull Formula 1 racing team whose lead driver is the current World Champion.

That businessman Dietrich Mateschitz died yesterday. According to sources he owned a 49% share in the company which manufactures and markets the drink. With the founder of the Thai company also passed on into pastures new, it is one of his 11 children who now controls his various companies. Overall charge is in the hands of Saipin Yoovidya, the eldest son of the founder's first wife. Vorayuth is his nephew, his father being the next younger brother from the same mother in the family hierarchy. I suppose the question now is: what becomes of Mateschitz's 49% shareholding? Presumably he has bequeathed them to friends/family/colleagues. But do we know if there was any agreement between the two families that on his death some or all would revert back to the Yoovidya family? I guess time will tell. Time will also tell is the murderer is ever going to get his hands on even part of the company.

It is known his family is protecting him by all lmeans possible. But such familial agreements do not always result in harmony. One prominent example is the man known as the former Godfather and Gambling King of Macao, Stanley Ho. Polygamy was legal in Hong Kong until 1971 (a result of an ancient Qing Dynasty ruling) and Ho had 17 known children from four wives, two of whom had legal marriages, the other two were after the repeal of the Polygamy Act. After his health deteriorated in 2009, lawsuits aplenty flowed from the wives and the children. The family squabbles over his fortune of many billions of US$s were described in one news outlet as "Byzantine". I know one lawyer who made a fortune by representing Ho who had counter sued some of them. So only time will tell not only if the murderer is ever brought to justice but if he is ever allowed to rule part of the fmaily empire.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/63100448

https://asia.ub-speeda.com/en/thailands-top-five-family-owned-businesses-future-beyond-decades-thailand/