ASEAN

Senior monk nabbed for stealing RM14.2m temple funds

A DEPUTY CHIEF monk from the Nakhon Najok province was arrested yesterday for allegedly stealing 110 million baht (RM14.2m) over a period of nine years from local temple funds.

Reports in Bangkok Post said he was working with a missing former Buddhism office chief.

Police yesterday search the living quarters of Phra Sitthi Woranayok, who is the abbot of Wat Khao Durian in Tambon Khao Phra of Muang district.

The abbot is also the deputy ecclesiastic chief of Nakhon Nayok.

He was charged with embezzling the money, which was for the development of local temples from 2007 to 2016. He had conspired with Nopparat Benjawatananun, the former chief of the National Office of Buddhism.

Police said the duo had disbursed 123 million baht (RM15.9m) from government coffers during the nine-year period for the development of 12 local temples.

After the temples received the money, they had the management of the temples withdraw most of the funds and the two men managed to keep 110 million baht for themselves, leaving only 13 million baht (RM1.7m) with the local temples.

They claimed that the money they kept would support development projects at other temples in need.

Police said Phra Sitthi Woranayok and Nopparat instead shared the money they kept and spent it buying land and other assets.

They each bought three blocks of land, covering about 10 rai, for 18.6 million baht (RM2.4m) from land owners close to them. The property acquisition was seen as money laundering, police said.

Authorities believe Nopparat fled the country in 2016. A luxury house believed to belong to him was searched in 2017 and many assets and documents impounded for examination.

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