Senior monk linked to new scandal not from Bangkok, say police
The case is also separate from the 'Sika Golf' sex scandal that has rocked the Buddhist clergy, said Pol Maj Gen Jaroonkiat Pankaew, deputy commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB).
Recent reports circulating in the media had misinterpreted information supplied to police investigators about the new embezzlement investigation.
Pol Maj Gen Jaroonkiat stressed that the details received from a newly established centre handling complaints about monks' misconduct involved a prominent provincial monk and had no connection to any monks based in Bangkok.
'We are aware of reports circulating in the media, but police have not yet taken any action (against the accused monk),' said the senior officer known as 'Big Tao'.
He also dismissed as inaccurate speculation that the senior monk in question may hold the rank of Somdet, the highest ecclesiastical title. He said the monk held a high-ranking title but it remained unclear whether the rank was Phra Thep, Phra Phrom or Phra Somdet.
Pol Maj Gen Jaroonkiat insisted that the monk under scrutiny was not the one with the rank of Somdet who was widely discussed on social media.
The suspect has been the subject of long-standing complaints involving the misuse of temple donations, said the CIB chief. Several hundred million baht, raised from people over many years, were intended for the construction of a major religious site. However, the project remains unfinished after more than a decade.
'There are clear signs of misconduct. Some of the money was allegedly diverted for personal purposes, including supporting a woman,' he said. 'At this stage, we are not disclosing whose account the funds were transferred to.'
Pol Maj Gen Jaroonkiat said that while police do not have the authority to defrock a monk, they will present the evidence to the relevant religious authorities for consideration. 'If a monk lacks proper conduct, he should not be revered,' he added.
Asked whether an arrest warrant or search warrant will be issued, he said there is sufficient evidence to proceed but added that authorities would follow due process and not act hastily.
Pol Maj Gen Jaroonkiat emphasised that both police and other agencies responsible were working to root out improper behaviour within the monastic community to preserve public trust. He called on the media to refrain from sensationalism and stick to verified facts.
The scandal involving Sika Golf and senior monks has gripped Thailand in recent weeks.
Sika Golf, whose real name is Wilawan Emsawat, was accused of developing intimate relationships with high-ranking monks and using them for financial gain, sparking a wide-ranging police investigation and multiple arrests.
Ms Wilawan, 35, was arrested in at her home in Nonthaburi province last Tuesday and has already been charged with enabling a monk's embezzlement of temple funds, laundering money and receiving stolen goods. She is being detained at the Central Investigation Bureau in Bangkok.
Police searched her house and found a number of mobile phones storing about 80,000 sex photos and videos involving senior monks at many famous temples.
So far, 13 monks linked to the case have been disrobed. All will be questioned, including the latest, Phra Maha Yodpet, the former abbot of Wat Tha Bua Thong in Phichit province.
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