Dhammakaya, co-op case settled after temple agrees to return Bt684 million

The agreement was reached at a mediation |session arranged by Thanyaburi Court among the temple, its abbot Phra Dhammachayo and the cooperative.
“Given that we will get the money back, we have decided to drop all complaints against the temple and its abbot,” the cooperative’s representative Prapasssorn Pongwisarnkul said after emerging from the mediation session.
The cooperative lodged complaints against the temple and Phra Dhammachayo after finding they had received huge donations from Supachai Srisupa-aksorn, now a former chairman of the cooperative.
Supachai is currently facing charges that he played a key role in illegally taking more than Bt10 billion from the cooperative.
Lawyer Samphan Sermcheep, who yesterday represented the temple and its abbot at the mediation session, initially said his clients could not return the money to the cooperative in spite of embezzlement reports. He said the money had already been spent on the construction of religious structures.
However, it was agreed at yesterday’s meeting that the temple and Phra Dhammachayo would return the money using a fund established by their followers for the purpose.

Six instalments of Bt100 million
Through the fund, the temple and its abbot will pay back the cooperative in six instalments – the first of Bt100 million.
After the mediation session ended with a satisfactory agreement, the cooperative’s lawyer Thapanawat Sasom headed to both the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) and the Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) to declare the co-op’s intention not to pursue any further proceedings against Dhammakaya Temple and Phra Dhammachayo.
Pol Major Woranan Srilam, who heads the DSI’s special case division, said the cooperative’s decision would not affect the department’s ongoing investigation into embezzlement at the cooperative.
“Phra Dhammachayo will still have to report to the DSI to provide information as a witness on March 26,” he said.
The abbot postponed a meeting with the DSI a few days ago.
To date, Phra Dhammachayo’s lawyer has insisted the abbot did not know how much money Supachai gave to him and the temple, let alone how Supachai got it.
The alleged embezzlement at Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative has been a major scandal, shaking several other cooperatives that have lent it money.
Klongchan, for example, reportedly now owes more than Bt543 million to the Nakhon Ratchasima Teachers’ Savings Cooperative. The latter is being fiercely criticised by several of its members, who are worried their savings will no longer be secure.
Between March 6 and 16, members have withdrawn more than Bt508 million from the teachers’ cooperative, prompting its chairman Thong Wiriyajaru to speak up.
“Our cooperative still has security and stability. We don’t have any cash-flow problem,” he said.
He added that the cooperative’s legal team was trying to get the money back from Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative.