Doctor faces probe over certificate to abbot

A DEPUTY director of the Fort Phanurangsi Hospital in Ratchaburi province is now facing a disciplinary probe for issuing a medical certificate to Phra Dhammachayo, an informed source said yesterday.
It said Lt Colonel Dr Siripong Pattanapisut issued the certificate to back the claim that the controversial abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya was too ill to respond to summonses without the permission from the hospital director. The hospital is under the supervision of a military circle.
“If the ongoing investigation finds out later that the medical certificate contains false information, the hospital will report the matter to the Medical Council to have his medical licence revoked,” the source added.
Siripong could not be reached for comment yesterday. The hospital said he had a meeting with his supervisor, as he was required to provide explanation over his role in Phra Dhammachayo’s case.
Meanwhile, a source at the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) explained that one of the medical certificates for Phra Dhammachayo’s illness claim came from a clinic within the temple compound itself, while the other came from the Ratchaburi-based hospital.
“This certificate means that he travelled out of his temple in Pathum Thani province to see a doctor in Ratchaburi,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The official explained that this was the reason why investigators refused to believe the monk’s claims of not being well enough to answer DSI summonses. “We believe this is also why the court agreed to approve an arrest warrant for him,” the official added.
The court issued an arrest warrant for Phra Dhammachayo after he repeatedly failed to answer DSI summonses.
DSI has been summoning him on suspicion that he may have played a role in the embezzlement of funds at Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative. Supachai Srisupa-aksorn, the disgraced former executive of the cooperative, had given the abbot a huge sum of money that in fact belonged to the cooperative. The temple said it thought the money was just a donation.
The latest summons from the DSI will require Phra Dhammachayo to acknowledge the charges of money laundering and accepting ill-gotten gains on May 26.
DSI chief Pol Colonel Paisit Wongmuang yesterday denied rumours that the agency planned to use an armoured vehicle to arrest Phra Dhammachayo if he fails to respond to the summons again.
A separate source at the DSI said if it was necessary to arrest the monk inside Wat Phra Dhammakaya, officials involved would not carry arms to avoid clashes and confrontations.
Yesterday, Wat Phra Dhammakaya’s staff were closely monitoring all vehicles coming into its compound.