7 Buddhist monks arrested for stealing US$8.9 million worth assets from Thai temple

Cash, jewellery and amulets were uncovered during a police raid in Nakhon Ratchasima province

Kom Kongkaew, a famous monk and one of the ringleaders in the case, had asked other suspects to hide the valuables and use some of the money to buy jewellery

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Voters queue to cast their ballots at a polling station outside a Buddhist temple in Bangkok during Thailand’s general election. Photo: AFP

Published: 10:56am, 12 May 2023Updated: 10:24am, 15 May 2023

Seven Buddhist monks are among nine suspects who are being held in pretrial detention after being arrested for allegedly embezzling assets worth about 300 million baht (US$8.9 million) from donations received by a temple in Thailand’s northeast, authorities said on Thursday.

The Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases said the actions of the ringleaders in the case “gravely undermined Buddhism.”

Five monks and a driver were sent to pretrial detention on Thursday, according to a statement from the court in Bangkok. They were arrested at Wat Pa Thammakhiri in Nakhon Ratchasima province when police conducted a raid on Tuesday and uncovered property worth about 100 million baht (US$2.9 million) allegedly hidden by the suspects.

Cash, jewellery and amulets were found in many spots, including the monks’ private quarters, police said. Some items were buried underground.

The first arrests in the case occurred last Friday, when police took into custody the temple abbot and a famous monk, Kom Kongkaew, who were accused of stealing over 180 million baht (US$5.3 million) of the temple’s money.