Abbot of Wat Saket removed from Sangha over budget irregularities
THE ACTING Supreme Patriarch yesterday issued an order to remove the abbot of Wat Saket (Temple of the Golden Mount) as a member of the Sangha Supreme Council after allegations of corruption, a senior government official said.
Phanom Sonsill, director of the National Office of Buddhism, said the abbot Phra Phrom Sutee was removed from the council after the Office of the Auditor-General detected irregularities in the spending of the Bt67-million budget earmarked for the royally sponsored cremation of his predecessor. The late Wat Saket abbot Somdej Phra Buddhacharn was cremated last March 9.
Acting Supreme Patriarch Somdej Phra Maha Ratchamangkhalacharn’s order stated that Phra Phrom Sutee’s removal from the council retroactively took effect on Wednesday. The order was countersigned by Prime Minister’s Office Minister Suwanphan Tanyuvardhana.
The abbot, who is also known as Chao Khun Sanoh, was appointed to the Sangha Supreme Council on September 22 last year.
According to Phanom, the Office of the Auditor-General had sent three letters to alert the acting Supreme Patriarch of the alleged irregularities, and the chief monk had decided to remove the abbot to protect the council’s image and minimise public suspicion.
“On January 8, the Office of the Auditor-General submitted its third report to the acting Supreme Patriarch directly. It was a confidential report addressed to him directly,” Phanom said. “I was at the office when the officials arrived, but had to leave the room because it was confidential. The removal of Phra Phrom Sutee mainly had to do with the spending of the Bt67-million cremation funds.”
Phanom said another senior monk would be nominated to fill the abbot’s place in the monks-ruling body.
He said Phra Phrom Sutee would, however, continue holding his post as abbot of the temple, which is under royal patronage, and chief of Monastic Region 12.
Phanom said it was up to the abbot’s direct superior, the monastic chief of Bangkok and Central Region, to decide whether the monk should continue holding the two posts.
Phra Phrom Sutee said yesterday he had been informed of the order and as a monk, had to respect the order of his superior. He added that he would take no action and remain in the monkhood, “because I have nowhere else to go”.
