Former National Office of Buddhism (NOB) chief Phanom Sornsilp and seven former officials involved in the temple fund embezzlement have been detained after the court turned down their bail requests.
Crime Suppression Division police on Thursday took Mr Phanom and the other suspects to the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases to seek the first 12-day detention pending the interrogation of witnesses.
The former NOB chief was caught at his house in Nakhon Pathom’s Sam Phran district on Wednesday in connection with the temple fund embezzlement scandal.
The other seven suspects, arrested on the same day, were Kaew Chittakob, director the Ang Thong provincial Buddhism Office; Narongdej Chainet, direct of the Sing Buri provincial Buddhism Office; Wasawad Kittitheerasit, head of the NOB’s temple renovation and development unit; Boonlert Sophan director of the Lampang provincial Buddhism office; Chayapol Pongsida, a former deputy NOB chief; Pattana Su-ammatmontri, a former Nakhon Pathom provincial Buddhism Office official; and Pornpen Kititharangkura, head of the NOB’s administrative development unit.
CSD police investigators asked the court to detain them for 12 days, from Aug 2-13 as they had yet to interrogate 10-15 more witnesses and were awaiting fingerprint results and other evidence. They opposed bail for all suspects for fear they might flee or interfere with the case. Five of the suspects applied for bail.
After a hearing, the court turned down their bail requests, which offered bonds ranging between 400,000 and 800,000 baht, citing the severity of the crime causing damage to not only state budget but also Buddhism, as well as flight risks.
All eight suspects were later taken to Bangkok Remand Prison and the Women's Correctional Institution.
