Nine suspects in temple funds scandal arrested

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Nine suspects in temple funds scandal arrested

By THE NATION

 

Former director of the National Buddhism Office Phanom Sornsilp is brought for questioning to the Crime Suppression Division head office in Bangkok.

 

POLICE arrested nine out of the 10 suspects wanted for money-laundering and malfeasance in the third scandal involving embezzlement of temple funds.
 

The arrests were made after raids at 10 locations nationwide yesterday.

 

Chayapol Pongsida

 

Among those arrested was newly identified suspect Chayapol Pongsida, the former deputy director of the National Buddhism Office (NBO). 

 

Chayapol, who denied any wrongdoing in supervising Bt62 million allocated from the NBO to Wat Sa Ket in 2016, revealed that a majority of the NBO temple funds totalling Bt5 billion a year went to famous temples in Bangkok.

 

Police Counter-Corruption Division (CCD) deputy commander Pol Colonel Warayuth Sukhawat, who took part in the joint operation involving the CCD and the Crime Suppression Division (CSD), earlier said Chayapol was identified as a suspect after a police probe found he had allegedly wired money to a temple in Lampang and then demanded that the temple send back the “change” money.

 

NBO former director Phanom Sornsilp, a suspect in the second scandal, was arrested yesterday at his house in the Sampran district of Nakhon Pathom province. His house had been searched last September when gold bars worth over Bt1.4 million along with land title deeds and documents were also seized.

 

Pattana Su-ammartmontri

 

Also arrested in separate locations were five other suspects in the second scandal: Samut Songkhram Buddhism Office director Kaew Chidtakob; Nakhon Pathom Buddhism Office academic Pattana Su-ammartmontri; Lampang Buddhism Office director Boonlert Sopa; Sing Buri Buddhism Office director Narongdej Chainet; NBO Phrapariyatidhamma education division head Pornpen Kittitarangkoon, as well as a suspect in the first and second scandals – NBO temple development and religious funding division head Wasawat Kittitheerasit. 

 

Boonlert Sopa

 

The lastest suspect captured in the South was a newly identified suspect, Jessada Wongmek who is a construction contractor.

One elusive fugitive is former NBO deputy director-general and Samut Prakan Buddhism Office director Pranom Kongpikul, who has fled the country.

 

Kaew Chidtakob

 

Recent probes have revealed cases of alleged misuse or illegitimate diversion of some temple funds meant either to maintain and restore temples, or to support the propagation of Buddhism, or to support Phrapariyatidhamma schools. These cases were divided into three batches. 

 

Pornpen Kittitarangkoon

 

In the first scandal, two former NBO chiefs Nopparat Benjawattananan and Phanom and several senior officials were accused of taking many millions of baht in kickbacks from temples in Amnat Charoen, Ayutthaya and Lamphun provinces. 

 

The second batch probe identified 19 suspects, comprising 13 civil servants, four monks and two civilians. In the third scandal, five senior monks were initially accused of embezzling state funds meant for the Phrapariyatidhamma schools. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30351247

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-08-02

[Samui Bodoh]

"...Chayapol, who denied any wrongdoing in supervising Bt62 million allocated from the NBO to Wat Sa Ket in 2016, revealed that a majority of the NBO temple funds totalling Bt5 billion a year went to famous temples in Bangkok..."

 

Hmm... "A majority of the NBO temple funds totalling 5 billion a year went to famous temples in Bangkok".

 

I would say that there are at least two scandals here. If most of the 5 billion Baht budget went to temples in Bangkok, then this is yet another case where the elite/rulers have governed the country of "Bangkok and Surroundings" rather than Thailand as a whole; this in and of itself should also be a scandal.

 

If only I had confidence that the prosecutors were less corrupt than the arrested people...

 

[stanleycoin]

I sure 5 Billion, will go to the needy and not the greedy.

All that lot sticking there fingers in the pie.

What ever next,  on how to distribute funds.

A Good Wat's in, Bad Wat's out campaign ? 

 

Edited August 1, 2018 by stanleycoin

[leeneeds]

Religion = money + all the other stuff

but really just want your money,

 the best

scam thats been invented by man for so long

its all about money, 

[colinneil]

Just another day, people having control over large sums of money taking a very large slice for themselves.

Anything to do with money and temples is ripe for picking, very few involved with temple money can be trusted.

[mikebell]

Take their passports; freeze their assets; set massive bail; and provide a car to Cambodia.

[Blow Up]

Why does government give money to temples? Just stop it.

[fullcave]

Everybody gets a cut of the proceeds just like any other government project. They just got a little too greedy. 

[Joker Man]

It is a business of you scratch my back and I will scratch yours here in Thailand. That we know.

[swanny321]

40 minutes ago, Joker Man said:

It is a business of you scratch my back and I will scratch yours here in Thailand. That we know.

 

  Or scratching ones temple, O my Buddha.

[chama]

12 hours ago, colinneil said:

Just another day, people having control over large sums of money taking a very large slice for themselves.

Anything to do with money and temples is ripe for picking, very few involved with temple money can be trusted.

If this is the new standard they are going to need to take that money to build new jails because their are a lot more elite thieves that will be needing accommodation. Some are executing the warrants!