DSI to question ex-monk's family

DSI to question ex-monk's family

The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) will summon the family and associates of defrocked monk Wirapol Sukphol for questioning on Wednesday.

Investigators plan to talk to the defrocked monk’s parents, Ratt Sukphol and Soodjai Sukphol, his brother, Suree Sukphol, and six of his eight disciples who recently returned from abroad.

Mr Wirapol's family members will also undergo DNA tests to confirm the validity of a woman's claim that the former holy man had sex with her when she was a minor and fathered her son, said Pol Lt Col Pong-in Intharakhao, chief of DSI's national security division.

The former monk is believed to be in the United States but some of his associates say he is preparing to return to Thailand to deal with the claims against him.

In addition to standing accused of sexual misconduct, Mr Wirapol faces questioning over the whereabouts of hundreds of millions of baht raised from followers. A lot of the money went to finance an outrageously lavish lifestyle that included regular private jet travel and purchases of dozens of luxury cars.

Pol Lt Col Pong-in said a police investigation also showed that the so-called emerald Buddha at Pa Khanti Tham temple, where Mr Wirapol used to be the abbot, was actually made of limestone and marble.

The discovery contradicts the former disgraced monk's statement that he spent 150 million baht of donated money on emeralds used for the construction.

The DSI is tracking down the source of the construction materials used to build the statue and is trying determine its true value.

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