The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) is compiling evidence to petition United States authorities to revoke the visa of disgraced monk Phra Wirapol Sukphol, who is currently believed to be staying in the US.
A group of 40 Buddhist monks from a monastery in Thawi Watthana district lodge a complaint with the Crime Suppression Division yesterday accusing disgraced monk Phra Wirapol Sukphol of embezzling 9,000kg of donated gold. PATTARAPONG CHATPATTARASILL
The DSI wants to know what kind of visa Phra Wirapol used to enter the US, and will ask for it to be cancelled.
While waiting for an arrest warrant to be issued for Phra Wirapol, better known as Luang Pu Nen Kham Chattiko, the DSI will seek informal cooperation from US authorities in its efforts to bring the controversial monk back to face charges in Thailand, DSI chief Tarit Pengdith said yesterday.
Pol Col Songsak Raksaksakul, chief of the DSI's office for foreign affairs and international cases, is working with the US embassy in Thailand to try and track down Phra Wirapol, Mr Tarit said.
As soon as the Sangha committee finally decides on whether to defrock Phra Wirapol, the DSI will ask the court to issue an arrest warrant for the monk.
First, an arrest warrant is needed and then public prosecutors have to agree to indict the monk, before the DSI can proceed with its petition for the US to consider cancelling the monk's visa, a DSI source said.
Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) secretary-general Seehanat Prayoonrat said Amlo was probing all allegations concerning the monk's money trail, which included reports that he had two bank accounts in the US and owned a house in California.
Central Institute of Forensic Science director Anek Yomjinda said the institute would seek a court order for Phra Wirapol's parents to submit DNA samples to see if they backed a woman's claims that the monk had raped and impregnated her.
The woman's son is now 11 years old and investigators require DNA samples to confirm whether or not Phra Wirapol is the father, but his parents have refused to give samples.
A DNA sample has already been taken from the monk's brother and results of any match with the DNA of the boy will be known today or tomorrow, Dr Anek said.
A group of 40 Buddhist monks from a monastery in Thawi Watthana district along with activist Songkran Atchariyasup filed a complaint with the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) yesterday accusing Phra Wirapol of embezzling 9,000kg of donated gold.
They also accused the monk of deceiving people into donating money for a project to construct a building for sick monks at Roi Et Hospital, which was never built.
In Tak province, the CSD and Amlo were conducting a probe into the activities of Phra Wirapol at Wat Khanti Barami in Mae Sot district, where the monk had reportedly visited regularly and more than 100 million baht in funds had been raised to construct a dhamma practice pavilion.
The move followed complaints by three jewellery traders in Tak who said Phra Wirapol had failed to pay for jewellery he had bought for about 20 million baht.
In Ubon Ratchathani, the DSI submitted to the Sangha panel copies of findings from its investigation in which Phra Wirapol was implicated on eight criminal counts, so that it could exercise its authority to defrock the monk.