A woman who claimed defrocked monk Wirapol Sukphol had sex with her when she was a minor and fathered her son yesterday lodged an underage sex complaint with the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) against him.
Virod Chaipannana, director of the Office of Buddhism in Si Sa Ket, took the woman, whose name was withheld, to file the complaint against Mr Wirapol, formerly known as Luang Pu Nen Kham.
The woman's grandmother, Prasert Wiwekwang, kamnan of tambon Pho in Si Sa Ket's Muang district, and Natthakit Kongraksa, acting chief of Tambon Pho Administration Organisation also gave their accounts as witnesses to the DSI.
The woman said she had sex with the former monk when she was 13 and 14. She also denied allegations raised by Mr Wirapol's associates that she actually had a sexual relationship with the former monk's brother.
The 84-year-old grandmother said she had taken her granddaughter to Mr Wirapol in front of her school and another place called Bon Kai where the then monk picked her up in his car. Mr Wirapol sometimes wore casual clothes when taking her granddaughter, she said.
The grandmother said Mr Wirapol normally picked up her granddaughter between 5pm and 6pm and dropped her back about 4am. She said this went on over a period of several years.
She said she sent her granddaughter to the then monk because he promised to take care of the girl. Mr Wirapol sometimes visited her granddaughter during her pregnancy, but he failed to give financial support for his child as he had promised, the grandmother added.
DSI chief Tarit Pengdith said the witnesses' accounts matched the evidence. He also said the DSI found 16 more vehicles belonging to Mr Wirapol that were involved in tax evasion.
The recent finding has brought the number of Mr Wirapol's vehicles to more than 70, Mr Tarit said. Mr Tarit said authorities in the United States will be contacted to cancel the former monk's visa. The DSI will meet today to consider seeking his arrest warrant, he said.
Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) deputy secretary-general Suwanee Sawangpol said the office will contact similar agencies overseas to probe the former monk's assets. Mr Wirapol's overseas assets will be seized if he is found to have defrauded the public.
Amlo will meet on Friday to examine the donations at Mr Wirapol's Khantitham monastery in Si Sa Ket province and his bank accounts to determine whether he breached the Anti-Money Laundering Act.
Meanwhile, Ubon Ratchathani Rajabhat University rector Prachum Pongphan said its council will meet on July 26 to consider withdrawing the honorary doctorate degree given to the former monk in 2010.