The former chief monk of Phichit province has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for embezzling 3 million baht in donations intended for the development of a Buddhist college.
The Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases also ordered the former Phra Thepwatcharasitthimethi, now known by his lay name Wirach, to repay the 3 million baht to the university, according to media reports on Thursday.
Phra Thepwatcharasitthimethi was one of several monks implicated in a sex scandal involving a woman dubbed “Sika Golf”, in a case that gripped Thailand last year.
The case centred on Wilawan Emsawat, a 35-year-old woman accused of forging intimate relationships with high-ranking monks and using them for financial gain, sparking police investigations and multiple arrests.
The court found the defendant, who was also the abbot of Wat Tha Luang in Phichit at the time, guilty of misappropriating funds while serving as the provincial ecclesiastical chief and director overseeing the Phichit Buddhist College of Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University.
Prosecutors said a donor had contributed 3 million baht to support the development of the Buddhist college. The money was transferred into the former monk’s bank account, but he failed to transfer the funds to the university’s account as intended.
Investigators found that Wirach had conspired with Ms Wilawan to divert the donation for personal use.
The court found the defendant guilty of offences under Section 147 of the Criminal Code for malfeasance involving misappropriation of assets by a state official, and Section 157 for misconduct in office.
Senior monks are considered state officials under the law as they receive monthly stipends from public funds.
Wirach had been denied bail throughout the investigation and trial and has remained in custody since his arrest.
He left the monkhood on July 15 last year amid mounting scrutiny over his alleged ties to Ms Wilawan.
He was the ninth senior monk compelled to resign instead of being expelled from the monkhood after news of the scandal emerged.
Ms Wilawan was arrested on July 15 last year at her house in a luxury housing estate in Nonthaburi after police found evidence of a 380,000-baht sum transferred to her by a senior monk.
- EXPLAINER : Love, lust and lost funds
