The government will not go ahead with submitting the nomination of the new supreme patriarch for His Majesty the King's endorsement unless all allegations concerning the nominated monk have been cleared up.
The probe into allegations against Somdet Phra Maha Ratchamangalacharn, the abbot of Wat Pak Nam Phasi Charoen, who has been nominated by the Sangha Supreme Council (SSC) to be the country's 20th supreme patriarch, has stirred up conflicts in Thai Buddhist society.
Somdet Phra Maha Ratchamangalacharn, also known as Somdet Chuang, is being investigated by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) over a luxury vintage car which he owns.
He also faces allegations by opponents that he protected controversial Wat Dhammakaya abbot Phra Dhammachayo who some say should be defrocked for allegedly violating the Buddhist monks' code of conduct.
All findings need to have a clear outcome before the nomination can be submitted for royal endorsement, Prime Minister's Office Minister Suwapan Tanyuwattana, who oversees the National Office of Buddhism (NOB), said Tuesday.
Mr Suwapan said he held informal discussions last Thursday with the head of the NOB and requested the office submit a report citing reasons provided by those for and against the nomination of Somdet Chuang.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha stressed that the NOB report required now must be made as complete as possible as he will take it into consideration in deciding how to proceed with the nomination, said Mr Suwapan.
"I insist we're not deliberately delaying this matter, but if the NOB cannot give us clear information about these issues, we have to ask once again that it be provided," he said.
Meanwhile, the DSI's special case director, Woranan Srilum, said the DSI is expected to conclude its investigation over alleged tax evasion concerning a vintage Mercedes-Benz owned by Somdet Chuang within a month.
Pol Maj Woranan led his team to inspect the car, bearing the licence plate "Kor Mor 99", at the temple's vintage car museum Tuesday.
The temple museum has three luxury classic cars on display but only the Mercedes-Benz is suspected of being improperly imported, or being part of an import tax evasion scam.
Pol Maj Woranan said the car was declared as locally assembled but with imported parts though complainants suspect that it was imported as a completely built car, making it eligible for a considerably higher rate of tax.
Damkoeng Jindara, head of the temple's asset management section, handed over documents on the car's registration to the DSI.
Mr Damkoeng said one of Somdet Chuang's supporters donated the car that was imported in 2011 to the abbot as a gift and it had been put on display at the museum since 2012.
A DSI source, however, revealed that previous investigations showed CT Auto Parts Limited partnership in Samphanthawong district of Bangkok and Cargo Car Co in Bang Phlat district, which claimed to respectively be the sellers of the imported body and engine of the car for local assembly, were found only to be shops selling general used car parts and accessories from Europe.
HTY Auto Parts limited partnership in Bang Kae district, which claimed to have reassembled the car, was found to be closed and abandoned, while NP Garage in Phasicharoen district, which claimed to be where the car was reassembled, was found to be a garage offering only car painting services, said the same DSI source.
In another development, Paiboon Nititawan, the former chairman of the now-defunct National Reform Council committee on religious affairs and a staunch critic of Somdet Chuang, petitioned the Office of the Ombudsman Tuesday to interpret Section 7 of the Sangha Act which deals with nominating new supreme patriarchs, in order to determine whether the nomination of the supreme patriarch is the responsibility of the prime minister or the SSC.
Mr Paiboon said he doubted whether the SSC had the authority to hold a secret meeting on Jan 5 to nominate Somdet Chuang as the new supreme patriarch.
In a rival move, groups of supporters and Buddhist monks in Europe, meanwhile, issued an urgent statement calling on the government to take action against "extremist" groups moving against Somdet Chuang, said Chayapol Pongsida, deputy director of the NOB.
He said these groups also wanted the government to instruct the DSI and other state agencies to stop "threatening" and "harassing" Somdet Chuang who they described as the "de facto supreme patriarch".
Meanwhile, Busaba Duanthong who leads an assembly of groups calling itself a network to protect Buddhist discipline, petitioned the National Reform Steering Assembly against the SSC's nomination of Somdet Chuang.
The groups accused the monk of lacking transparency.