Ex-monk caught up in sex scandal says he left temple nearly ‘empty-handed'
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Thid Pradit (Thid is a title referring to someone who has just left the monkhood) shared photos of the handover of the documents to the acting abbot of Wat Phra Phutthachai.
Thid Pradit, formerly known as Phra Thep Wachiratheeraporn, stressed the transparency of the transfer, stating that the move was intended to prevent 'insane' accusations that he left with temple money and assets.
'I am at peace now. I have officially handed over all important documents to the acting abbot of Wat Phra Phutthachai,' he wrote.
'Those items are bank account books, income and expenditure statements, the temple's land documents, vehicle registration documents and other key documents.'
He later posted photos of a Krungthai Bank account book bearing his monk's name as the account owner. It showed a balance of 12,956.84 baht as of July 11.
The former Phra Thep Wachiratheeraporn was disrobed for alleged affairs with a woman known as Sika Golf (Ms Golf).
He recently admitted to romantic relationship. He told police he met the 35-year-old woman in 2019 via Facebook, when she initially approached him with signs of devotion.
Their contact continued for about a year before developing into a romantic relationship. He even planned to marry her. However, he later discovered that she was also romantically involved with other senior monks.
The sex scandal has sent shockwaves through the monastic community, following the seizure of over 80,000 images and videos from five mobile phones belonging to Ms Golf during a search of on her house in Nonthaburi on July 4. The images depicted intimate affairs between her and senior monks at well-known temples.
So far, eight monks have been identified, and three have been found in violation of monastic codes, warranting disrobing. At least five of the implicated monks have already left the monkhood.
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