Crime Suppression Division police sought court approval on Wednesday for the detention of Phra Phrom Sitthi, former member of the Sangha Supreme Council, after he surrendered to face charges of embezzlement of 63 million baht of state temple development funds.
News reporters had waited outside CSD headquarters in Bangkok since Wednesday morning after they were tipped off that Phra Phrom Sitthi, 60, would turn himself. Instead, police sneaked him into the CSD head office through a back gate in the afternoon.
Questioning lasted about three hours and he was then seen being taken from the CSD, heading to the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases in Dusit district. The court hearing was continuing.
The Criminal Court earlier issued an arrest warrant for Phra Phrom Sitthi, also abbot of Wat Sa Ket in Bangkok and the 10th ecclesiastical region governor, for allegedly embezzling 79 million baht of Buddhism promotion and Buddhism school budgets.
He had been in hiding since last Thursday when commandos raided three Buddhist temples in Bangkok and arrested five senior monks for alleged embezzlement. Phra Phrom Methee, abbot of Wat Samphanthawong, one of the raided temples, remained at large on Wednesday evening.
The five senior monks arrested last Thursday were expelled from the monkhood and detained at Bangkok Remand Prison.
Phra Phrom Sitthi is one of the three members of the Sangha Supreme Council removed from their positions last Thursday. Their monastic titles were revoked on Tuesday this week by HM the King.