The Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) has frozen about 134 million baht held in 10 bank accounts by four former senior monks embroiled in a temple fund embezzlement scandal.
The order was given by Amlo's Transaction Committee and announced on the office's website yesterday. The 90-day freeze runs until Aug 20.
Of these, seven bank accounts worth 132.8 million baht in total belong to Thongchai Sukkho, the former abbot of Wat Sa Ket. His clerical name, since rescinded, was Phra Phrom Sitthi.
One belongs to Terd Wongcha-oom, the ex-assistant abbot of Wat Sa Ket, who was formerly known as Phra Wichit Thammaporn. He had about 27,876 baht in his account.
Another account, worth 1.7 million baht, is held by Euan Klinsalee, the former abbot of Wat Sam Phraya, who had the name Phra Phrom Dilok prior to being defrocked.
The last one, worth 162,151 baht, belongs to fugitive former monk Phra Phrom Methee, former assistant abbot of Wat Samphanthawong. He was detained in Frankfurt, Germany and is reportedly applying for asylum there.
The three temples associated with the former monks were raided by 200 police commandos in late May for alleged involvement in the embezzlement of state funds set aside for temples.
Based on the order to freeze their bank accounts, the committee said the investigation into the scandal uncovered evidence which led them to believe these people and their associates had committed offences in line with the Anti-Money Laundering Act.
The committee also ordered the seizure of the Master Nun Chand Khonnokyoong 101th Anniversary Memorial Building as well as 91 plots of land where the building is situated in Wat Phra Dhammakaya, in Pathum Thani's Klong Luang district.
The order was made by the committee on June 12.
The panel based its decision on the discovery that some of the 1.45 billion baht embezzled by former Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative (KCUC) chairman Supachai Srisupa-aksorn from his organisation was used to sponsor the construction of the building.
The probe found 27 cheques issued by Supachai were given to Phra Dhammajayo, the former abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya, and a woman identified as Sasithon Chokprasit.
Supachai has been in prison since 2016 for offences stemming from the embezzlement.
The Criminal Court initially handed down a 16-year jail sentence for siphoning off 22.1 million baht from the KCUC on eight occasions from April 10 to Oct 8, 2013. The Appeal Court later reduced the term to seven years in light of his cooperation.
He is also facing lawsuits to return 9 billion baht to KCUC members.
Phra Dhammajayo is wanted on charges of money laundering and receiving stolen property in connection with the multi-million-baht KCUC embezzlement scandal.
He also faces arrest warrants for alleged forest encroachment in Loei, Nakhon Ratchasima and Phangnga. The whereabouts of the former abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya are unknown despite a DSI-led temple search.
