Thai abbot arrested in $2.8m temple funds case

Thai police said they arrested a senior Buddhist monk on suspicion of embezzling $2.8 million intended for his monastery, in a case that also involves an alleged sexual relationship with a female accomplice.

Phra Wachirayan Wi, 66, abbot of the 14th-century Wat Phutthaisawan temple in Ayutthaya, was arrested on Sept. 10 on charges including embezzlement and money laundering, lead police investigator Pattanasak Bupphasuwan said.

Police said a 47-year-old woman accused of helping convert and conceal the money was also arrested. Thai media widely broadcast leaked CCTV footage showing the pair having sex in the monk's residence. Buddhist monks in Thailand take a vow of celibacy and renounce material possessions.

Pattanasak, commander of the police Crime Suppression Division, said investigators found two streams of money linked to donation receipts issued in the temple's name: about 89 million baht for temple renovations and 2.8 million baht in payments for Buddhist amulets and other sacred objects.

"But the money from both streams did not enter the temple's account -- not a single baht," Pattanasak told a news conference on Sept. 11.

He said authorities seized assets worth about 215 million baht, including 16 kilograms of gold bars and jewellery and 28 land title deeds. Police are investigating which assets were personal property and which belonged to the temple.

Central Investigation Bureau commissioner Nattasak Chaowanasai said police would expand the investigation to identify other people involved. The abbot was defrocked shortly after his arrest.

Wat Phutthaisawan is a prominent royal monastery with a large following. The case follows a separate sex and extortion scandal involving senior monks in Thailand last year that prompted public outrage and calls for closer scrutiny of temple finances.