Raids move temple funds case forward

An investigation into the temple funds embezzlement scandal appears to be moving in the right direction after authorities raided the homes of senior officials and found signs of unusual wealth, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said yesterday.

Mr Wissanu said officials from different units involved in the probe are collaborating well.

The Counter-Corruption Division (CCD) on Thursday raided 14 locations in seven provinces believed to be linked to the scandal. But the case, which implicates government officials, has also caught the attention of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), which is now looking into the matter, Mr Wissanu said.

The deputy premier said the probe has been carried out through proper channels as it started internally at the National Office of Buddhism (NOB) before expanding to include investigations by other agencies.

Asked if the evidence could be tampered with because the case involves government officials, Mr Wissanu said it is the NOB’s responsibility to keep an eye out to ensure this is not the case.

In a related development, the CCD yesterday pressed charges against two more NOB officials in connection with the temple funds scandal — Chatchai Chuchuea, director of the NOB’s Buddhist monastery division, and Phayong Seelueang, a civil works technician attached to the NOB.

CCD commander Kamol Reanracha said it has charged the pair with dereliction of duty in violation of Section 157 of the Criminal Code and misappropriation in violation of Section 147 of the same law.

The pair have denied any involvement. On Thursday, the CCD brought the same charges against former NOB director Phanom Sornsilp and two other NOB officials following the raids in seven provinces, bringing the number of people facing the charges so far to five.

The CCD’s latest round of probes into the scandal found a total of 23 temples were embroiled in the scandal with 19 individuals likely to have taken part in it, according to the CCD commander.

Of the 19 suspects, 13 are former and serving NOB officials, two are civilians and four are monks, he said. About 140 million baht is estimated to have been embezzled.

Pol Maj Gen Kamol said yesterday the CCD will forward the embezzlement cases involving state officials to the NACC by Tuesday. Based on information from former NOB director-general Pol Lt Col Pongporn Pramsaneh, the office provides grant-inaid for Buddhist temples nationwide to the tune of about 4 billion baht annually.

The budget is allocated to four main areas.

The office allocates 500 million baht for temple maintenance while 1.9 billion baht supports religious education among Thai monks and 600 million baht is for religious activities to promote Buddhism.

About 1 billion baht goes to a personal allowance fund for monks. At the centre of the scandal are the first three categories.