Wat Saket’s ex-abbot jailed three years for money laundering

[webfact]

Wat Saket’s ex-abbot jailed three years for money laundering

By The Nation

 

Thongchai Sukko

 

Thongchai Sukko, the former abbot of Wat Saket in Bangkok and a former member of the Sangha Supreme Council who was known as Pha Kru Dhammasitit until he was defrocked, has been jailed for 36 months and fined Bt27,000.

 

The Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct on Wednesday (February 19) found Thongchai and four others guilty of possessing and concealing ill-gotten gains and negligence in duty causing harm to others.

 

The crime boiled down to money laundering, with the abbot submitting inflated expense accounts for temple projects and then splitting the proceeds skimmed off the top with the others, who had approval privileges.

 

Phanom Sornsilp, 60, former chief of the National Buddhism Office, was sentenced to the legal equivalent of two years and 12 months in prison, two others to three years and 18 months.

 

The last defendant was given a two-year suspended sentence based on his service to Buddhism and previously clean criminal record.

 

Four of the accused had been in jail since their arrest last year, but Thongchai was granted bail on a bond of Bt2.5 million.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30382419?utm_source=category&utm_medium=internal_referral

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-02-20

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

[PatOngo]

I think he misinterpreted some of the fundamentals...………….

 

 

 

 

[ezzra]

What a simple man in the street would thing seeing how rort graft and corruption infesting in the highest echelon of the Buddhist institution who suppose to be amoral compass to others...

[30la]

Like all religions of this world, Buddhism too is infested with criminals of all kinds!

[Geoffggi]

Once again the punishment does not enforce any kind of deterrent for others to follow suit, also who knows for how many years this has been going on.....!!!

[rucker4012]

No mention of amount misappropriated.

[klauskunkel]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

was sentenced to the legal equivalent of two years and 12 months in prison

I don't understand this, maybe they mean 3 years? No, too easy...

[007 RED]

According to a report in yesterday's newspaper that I'm not allowed to mention, the former abbot was yesterday (19/02/20) sentenced by the Central Criminal Court to a suspended jail term of 36 months and fined 27,000 baht for the embezzlement of 69.7 million baht of temple funds.

 

The Court found the money was embezzled for personal use.  There was no mention if any of the funds were recovered.

 

Suspended sentence + 27K THB fine = 69.7 million THB in your back pocket.... Not bad for a day's work ????

[justin case]

when even the religion cannot set a clear example...

[PatOngo]

11 minutes ago, justin case said:

when even the religion cannot set a clear example...

But isn't it doing just that? The religion, the army, the police, the govt! The message I seem to get is it's ok to be a parasite!

[Grusa]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

sentenced to the legal equivalent of two years and 12 months in prison,

What does that actually mean? Is it three years? What is the "legal equivalent"? A wai perhaps, or a brown envelope?

[sammieuk1]

Bet the sticky fingers fiddling abbot was the fall guy thats why no money amount has been mentioned and probably re-embezzled by now????

[George Aylesham]

1 hour ago, justin case said:

when even the religion cannot set a clear example...

The Lord Buddha must be weeping - and as an ex-member of the Sangha this sullies its reputation too,

[nahkit]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

The crime boiled down to money laundering, with the abbot submitting inflated expense accounts for temple projects and then splitting the proceeds skimmed off the top with the others, who had approval privileges.

Isn't that just plain and simple fraud rather than money-laundering?

[Dap]

"the legal equivalent of two years and 12 months in prison,"

... curious as to what that would be 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

10 hours ago, ezzra said:

What a simple man in the street would thing seeing how rort graft and corruption infesting in the highest echelon of the Buddhist institution who suppose to be amoral compass to others...

 

I think you got that right, perhaps unintentionally...

 

AMORAL compass!  

 

In that regard, he succeeded admirably!

[Scott Tracy]

A pity that this guy has besmirched a religion. It happens everywhere in every religion. Bad apples, corrupt practises. I keep as far away from anything to do with religion as I can. A pity the wife can't.

[tifino]

6 hours ago, klauskunkel said:

I don't understand this, maybe they mean 3 years? No, too easy...

...just the wai it is done!

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

The BKK Post version of this story is saying the former monk got a 36 month sentence, but then the court SUSPENDED the sentence for two years...

 

Which if I understand their interpretation of the wording, it means the guy is walking free and won't serve any more time in jail... provided he behaves himself for the coming two years.

 

The Nation version makes no mention of the two year suspension for the former head monk at all!  I'm guessing, the Post version is correct, since it would be highly unusual for a Thai court to hand down an actual 3 year prison sentence for a former monk like that.

 

[mok199]

Sadly shame ethics and remorse are in short supply in LOS replaced with entitlement emboldenment and blame