Police vow to take legal action against monks over subsidy corruption scandal

“We are not worried about their followers because we have proceeded in line with evidence,” Pol Maj-General Kamol Reanracha, commander of the National Police Office’s Counter Corruption Division (CCD), said yesterday. 
While he did not identify the monks by name, he said all the priests were still in Thailand. 
The CCD has already disclosed that there are 19 suspects in the alleged embezzlement of state subsidies that were allocated to 23 temples via the National Buddhism Office (NBO). 
Of these suspects, NBO’s former director Phanom Sornsilp, Sing Buri Buddhism Office’s Narongdej Chainet, NBO academic Pattana Subamma-rtmontri, Buddhist Monastery Division’s chief Chatchai Chuchau, and NBO public-works engineer Payong Siluang have already been charged in connection with the scandal. 
They have denied any wrongdoing. 
Nopparat Benjawatananan, another former director involved in the scandal, has not yet acknowledged the charges against him as he left Thailand before officials got to his home. 
On Thursday, the CCD conducted simultaneous raids at various locations linked to the suspects. Their assets are now confiscated pending investigation by the Anti-Money Laundering Office. 
Kamol added that his division would conclude the investigation into the alleged embezzlement at 23 temples very soon. 
“We plan to submit the investigation report to the National Anti-Corruption Commission next Tuesday,” he said. 
A source disclosed that one of the accused monks was a district-level monastic chief in Phetchabun province. 
“This monk has returned Bt5 million to some accused officials after getting Bt19 million in subsidy,” the source said, adding, relevant authorities have told the monk to produce evidence that he had not engaged in any wrongdoing.