Another senior monk surrenders in corruption case

By KAMPANART LA-ONG, 
KORNKAMON AKSORNDECH 
THE NATION

 

Phra Medhisuttikorn

 

THE former assistant abbot of Bangkok’s Sa Ket Temple, Phra Medhisuttikorn, yesterday surrendered to police at the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) after a warrant was issued last week for his arrest over alleged embezzlement of the National Buddhism Office (NBO) funds to temples.

 

The monk, born Sangkhom Sangkhapat, was reportedly stripped of his clerical title over the scandal and now faces charges of aiding officials to embezzle, abuse of his temple position, and conspiracy in money-laundering. Sangkhom, the eighth monk for whom an arrest warrant was issued in this case, was accused of joining with NBO officials to propose a Bt10-million budget for dhamma school projects, a police source said.

 

Phra Medhisuttikorn

 

After receiving the money, he and Sa Ket Temple assistant abbot Phra Wijitdhammaporn, who is already in custody, allegedly issued cashier cheques in favour of another arrested Sa Ket Temple staff member, Thawit Sangyoo, to gradually withdraw the cash at Bt1.8 million per time until all the money was gone, the police source said. Police are now checking the money trail after the withdrawals, the source said.

 

After a five-hour-long interrogation during which he maintained his innocence, police brought Sangkhom to the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases at 3pm to apply for a detention order. The court rejected his bail request on grounds that he might tamper with evidence. 

 

Meanwhile, the police Counter-Corruption Division (CCD) chief, Pol Maj-General Kamol Rienracha, said the investigation’s fourth stage is looking at corrupt state officials and their accomplices. He said wrongdoing had been confirmed among the officials already charged in the earlier stages of the probe, from 2011-16. 

 

Kamol vowed to continue the investigation until all wrongdoing was uncovered. No particular temple was targeted, he said. The CCD was looking at every temple that had received more than Bt1 million in development funding during 2011-16. 

 

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

 

No such complaint had been filed so far in the fourth stage of the investigation, he said, while declining to specify how many temples were under suspicion. A CCD source said laws had been broken at 29 temples, including several well-known temples not involved in earlier rounds of the probe. Total losses to the state are estimated at Bt102 million.

 

The earlier stages uncovered corruption amounting to Bt340 million in losses through misappropriation of funds for temple restoration and general development, for propagating Buddhism and for subsidising dhamma 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 – including seven monks, along with 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 that four of the cases involving three temples had been sent back to the CCD with instructions to proceed with prosecution. The four cases include allegations against senior monks Phra Phromsitti, the abbot of Sa Ket Temple; Phra Phrommedhi, the assistant abbot of Wat Samphanthawongsaram; Phra Phromdilok, the abbot of Wat Sam Phraya; and Phra Medhisuttikorn and Phra Wijitdhammaporn, the assistant abbots at Sa Ket Temple.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30346711

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-06-01

Another one that finally gets the right back to use the name he was born with. Well deserved too.

1 hour ago, webfact said:

"The monk, born Sangkhom Sangkhapat,............now faces charges of aiding officials to embezzle"

So does that mean it was not the monks who embezzled after all. This report suggests it was government officials (as usual) who did the embezzling. The monks surely were tricked into helping NBO officials to fabricate shonky dhamma school projects and after that it seems they only gave those corrupt officials a kindly Buddhist helping hand by looking after the money for them. Obviously the corrupt officials felt reciprocal kindness and made donations to the temples.

Not hard to see where all this is going. 

 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Police are now checking the money trail after the withdrawals. 

Meaning the money trail back to the crooked NBO high ranking officials? I suspect they may only get as far as the bagmen from the NBO junior ranks. Some of those have probably already been selected as scapegoats to take the hit. 

The Thai civil service is clearly riddled with corrupt senior officials who live high on the hog but mysteriously seem to escape detection. Perhaps protected by corrupt politicians and the wristwatch famous NACC? Surely not! 

Edited May 31, 20188 yr by Cadbury

the damage these imposters have done ,and the generous thais they have mislead...my family for one bears the scars....absolutely disgusting this lot

Why is he still wearing the orange robe when he is in the habit of theft.

Religions seem to be the best shelters for criminals!

After one week1 Must have been time consuming to change names on his bank accounts and hand assets to family members.

Another one bites the dust, many more need locked up, but at least it is a start.

One thing i have noticed though, all the members who have in the past been spouting off about of members ( me included ) should stop speaking bad about monks, are now very noticeable by their silence.

Ah; yet another contender for 'The Most Corrupt Monk of the Year' contest that i hear is going to be aired on TV.    Should be more popular than 'Love Destiny' and the Great Leader will want to be seen with these Lowlife's and tell the Population they should all be wearing Orange Robes from now on !

Why there are more and more monks in Thailand that are criminals...mhhh maybe why they are recruting criminals to avoid prison or penalties....

 

So there is no way to bend down a head in front of a monk, i cant understand thais still doing it!!!!!

5 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

Why is he still wearing the orange robe when he is in the habit of theft.

Well if he takes it off he will probably be naked. I am sure they will find some prison clothes for him

America has the Mafia,  Australia has the bike gangs, China has the Triads, Italy has the mafia, Germany has the Nazis and  Thailand has the Monks. I am sure when they steal this money from poor  Thais they believe that God is with them, Does ease the conscience a lot when they are flogging the money. But rest assured they are just as bad as the all the mobs i just mentioned

On 6/1/2018 at 7:50 AM, peperobi said:

Religions seem to be the best shelters for criminals!

Religion is religion no matter where you find it.

What about arrest some corrupt Generals?