The third round of temple fund embezzlement investigations will be conducted on a list of about 100 temples in the New Year, the Counter-Corruption Division (CCD) commander Kamol Rianracha says.
He said the CCD is developing a framework to better conduct investigations into temple funds and determine the funds' routing.
"The information will then be submitted to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) so that a subcommittee may be elected to pursue further legal processes," Pol Maj Gen Kamol said.
"By doing this, we will also be able to investigate annual budgets which have been approved by past National Office of Buddism (NOB) directors."
Current NOB director Pol Lt Col Pongporn Pramsaneh said he welcomes the CCD's third initiative, as the investigations are likely to "improve the integrity of Buddhist institutions".
In September, a crackdown at 14 locations linked to possible temple fund embezzlement was conducted by authorities across seven provinces, after warrants were issued for the investigations to go ahead.
The provinces were Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Nakhon Pathom, Samut Sakhon, Ranong, Khon Kaen and Sing Buri.
Most of the houses investigated were the homes of past high-level NOB officials.
The NOB is the main provider of taxpayer funds for Buddhist temples in Thailand, as it is normally obligated to set aside money to assist the temples.
The funds may be drawn for the temples' maintenance purposes, ecclesiastical studies and conducting religious rites and activities.
Recently, the Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) seized 92 million baht worth of property related to temple fund embezzlement from NOB officials, a Centre for National Anti-Corruption (CNAC) source said.
The source said a request for a court order to declare the items as national property is being drafted. The NACC is also preparing to establish subcommittees to oversee another 20 temple fund embezzlement cases, the source said.
Amlo reports say that from 2012-2016, 12 out of 33 temples which were allotted funds from the NOB were involved in corruption. Six of the temples were located in northern Thailand, with two more in the Central region and one in the South.
A collective 60.5 million baht was reportedly lost by all the recorded cases of corruption in that period.
The next CNAC meeting to discuss temple fund embezzlement will be held on Wednesday. It will be chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Prajin Juntong.