The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) yesterday said it is seeking an arrest warrant for Wat Phra Dhammakaya's abbot following a no-show to acknowledge charges in connection with the Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative (KCUC) embezzlement scandal.
A statement detailing the illnesses of Wat Phra Dhammakaya’s abbot, Phra Dhammajayo, is presented at a news briefing held by the temple yesterday. The ailments include dizziness, severe vertigo, backache, muscle inflammation, diabetes, allergies, clogged arteries in his left leg and an infected foot wound. Apichit Jinakul
Phra Dhammajayo, who is facing charges of money laundering and receiving stolen property, yesterday failed to attend a meeting with DSI officials, citing various illnesses.
Under the DSI investigation, 22 cashier's cheques worth more than 2 billion baht were paid by former cooperative chairman Supachai Srisupa-aksorn, who was convicted of siphoning money from the organisation to the abbot and his associates, including monks and its foundation for Buddhist nuns.
This included at least 435 million baht to Phra Dhammajayo.
The DSI has pressed charges of money laundering and receiving stolen property against the abbot.
Samphan Sermcheep, a lawyer representing Phra Dhammajayo, met the officials yesterday morning and requested another postponement for the abbot to acknowledge the charges.
Yesterday's schedule was deferred from April 8, when the abbot said he was busy with religious activities. The DSI earlier said it would not allow another postponement and Phra Dhammajayo was due to acknowledge the charges himself from 9am to 4pm yesterday.
Following the abbot's no-show, DSI officials and prosecutors met and discussed his two postponements, according to a statement later released by the DSI's spokesman team.
Phra Dhammajayo cited several illnesses as an excuse for his last postponement, showing a medical certificate granted by a private clinic. However, he was still conducting religious activities as normal, despite his alleged ailments, prompting investigators to determine there were grounds to believe he had dodged the meeting.
His move is seen as an attempt to avoid the justice process, the DSI says. With the charges bearing a maximum punishment of more than three years, and with sufficient evidence found to implicate Phra Dhammajayo in the case, the DSI will request an arrest warrant for him from a criminal court.
Meanwhile, Wat Phra Dhammakaya yesterday released a statement claiming that Phra Dhammajayo suffers from multiple ailments which prevented him from showing up at the DSI to acknowledge the charges.
These illnesses include dizziness, severe vertigo, backache and muscle inflammation, among others.
A medical team which provides treatment for the abbot agreed that he should rest and refrain from carrying out activities for 15 days. They also said his ailments are the reason behind his inability to make the meeting, the statement says.
Based on the KCUC's embezzlement case, more than 878 cheques worth 11 billion baht were allegedly made out using KCUC funds and authorised by Supachai.
Last month, the Criminal Court sentenced Supachai to 16 years in jail, the first such ruling in seven cases connected to the cooperative scandal. Supachai pleaded guilty in court to charges of embezzlement, which he initially denied.