Former Wat Sam Phraya monks jailed

Phra Phrom Dilok, then the abbot of Wat Sam Phraya, is arrested at his temple in Phra Nakhon district on May 24, 2018. (Photo by Wassayos Ngamkham)
Phra Phrom Dilok, then the abbot of Wat Sam Phraya, is arrested at his temple in Phra Nakhon district on May 24, 2018. (Photo by Wassayos Ngamkham)

The Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases has sentenced a former abbot of Wat Sam Phraya and his secretary to six years and three years in jail, respectively, for laundering money budgeted to promote Buddhism into their own pockets.

The court ruled on Thursday former Phra Promdilok and former Phra Attakit Sophon had siphoned some 4 million baht of the 5-million-baht budget from the National Office of Buddhism (NOB) to the accounts of Wipaporn Udomchokpiti.

The NOB earmarked 5 million baht between 2013 and 2014 to Wat Sam Phraya, part of the 72-million-baht budget for all temples nationwide to support projects promoting Buddhism.

The money was transferred to the woman in three separate transactions between December 2013 and January 2014, according to the prosecution's documents.

The judges dismissed claims by the two former senior monks they thought the money was allocated to the temple for the construction of two buildings.

The court sentenced the former monks to six years and his close aide three years.

Learn from listening

Click play to listen to audio for this story, or download to save the file
: :

Vocabulary

  • abbot (noun): the head monk at a temple - เจ้าอาวาส
  • earmark: to decide to use something, often money, for a particular purpose - ตัดสินใจที่จะใช้สำหรับวัตถุประสงค์เฉพาะ
  • money laundering: hiding the origin of money obtained from illegal activities by putting it into legal businesses - การฟอกเงิน
  • prosecution: the process of accusing someone of a crime and asking a court of law to judge them - การดำเนินคดีตามกฎหมาย
  • siphon: to take away from - ดูดออก
  • transaction: a business dealing - การติดต่อทางธุรกิจ

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT
MORE IN SECTION