Temple graft probe into fourth phase, chief vows to uncover every crime

By Kornkamon Aksorndech 
The Nation

 

The fourth stage of the police Counter-Corruption Division (CCD) investigation into alleged misappropriation and embezzlement of funds at temples and the National Buddhism Office (NBO) is looking at corrupt state officials and their accomplices, the division chief said on Thursday.

 

Pol Maj-General Kamol Rienracha said wrongdoing had been confirmed among the officials already charged in earlier stages of the probe, stemming from 2011-2016.

 

Kamol vowed to continue the investigation until all wrongdoing is uncovered.

 

No particular temple was targeted, he said. The CCD was looking at every temple that received more than Bt1 million in development funding during 2011-2016.

 

Each time a wrongdoing is alleged, Kamol said, the NBO director is notified that further evidence would be sought, and if evidence establishes sufficient grounds, the NBO director would file a formal complaint with the CCD.

 

No such complaint has been filed so far in the fourth stage of the investigation, he said, while declining to specify how many temples were under suspicion.

 

But a CCD source said laws had been broken at 29 temples, including several well-known temples not involved in earlier rounds of the probe, resulting in total losses to the state of Bt102 million.

 

The earlier stages uncovered graft amounting to Bt340 million in losses through misappropriation of funds for temple restoration and general development, for propagating Buddhism and for subsidising dharma schools.

 

The first phase of the investigation found 12 instances of corruption involving 10 suspects and losses of Bt61 million.

 

The second, covering 476 temples, opened 23 cases with 19 suspects and Bt140 million in losses.

 

The third, involving 10 temples and Bt140 million in losses, led to 11 corruption cases with 19 suspects – seven monks, 10 active and former NBO officials – of whom eight were accused in the first two phases – and two civilians directly involved in graft or with knowledge of it.

 

Those 11 cases were forwarded to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) in April.

 

NACC secretary general Worawit Sukboon said on Wednesday four of the cases involving three temples had been back to the CCD with instructions to proceed with prosecution.

 

The four cases include allegations against senior monks Phra Phromsitti, abbot of Wat Sa Ket; Phra Phrommedhi, assistant abbot of Wat Samphanthawongsaram; Phra Phromdilok, abbot of Wat Sam Phraya; and Phra Medhisuttikorn and Phra Wijitdhammaporn, assistant abbots at Wat Sa Ket.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30346670

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-05-31

Kamol vowed to continue the investigation until all wrongdoing is uncovered.


Wow, this guy is going to be busy!!!

Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

Bt 340 million in losses wonder how many will get moved to inactive posts ?

And how many years will it be before a single case comes to Court and we get a Conviction and Jail sentence ?    Don't hold your breath !

5 hours ago, trainman34014 said:

And how many years will it be before a single case comes to Court and we get a Conviction and Jail sentence ?    Don't hold your breath !

No No No You are so wrong this will be a fast, transparant and open investigation completed within 90 days from now.

Today is May 31 2561 BE.

Expect the results by Wednesday August 29 2561 AD.

I doubt if Elliot Ness is still available so I guess anyone with a few hundred years on their hands to spare will have to do the job

21 hours ago, webfact said:

Temple graft probe into fourth phase

Ah, they’ve gone from silly figures like ‘85% complete’ to now using ‘phases’. 

 

Fourth phase, huh? That sounds impressive. 

21 hours ago, webfact said:

".....chief vows to uncover every crime"

Every big senior public service stone will be left unturned in their efforts to expose every crime. As with all other corruption in the civil service only expect the small fry to be caught in the net. The big boys are a protected species.

It is noticeable there has been a strong switch in emphasis away from the bent monks to the corrupt state officials with monks seemingly now referred to only as "accomplices". I wonder under whose instruction that would have been. 

That should take some of the heat off the crooked saffron boys especially in the eyes of their devout worshippers; with similar heat being taken off the apologist PM and the junta. 

19 hours ago, trainman34014 said:

And how many years will it be before a single case comes to Court and we get a Conviction and Jail sentence ?    Don't hold your breath !

.....chief vows to uncover every crime

This dramatic headline is intended for nothing more than to raise the envelope ante to keep the big names out of it. Long way to go yet.