The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) will charge a former head of the National Office of Buddhism (NOB) and two other executives with embezzling funds from temple budgets, causing 30 million baht in damage.
Commissioners approved resolutions on two alleged temple embezzling cases that involved ex-NOB chief, Nopparat Benjawattananan, and will submit all related evidence to the court for further criminal legal proceedings, NACC secretary-general Niwatchai Kasemmongkol said.
One case included embezzlement at three temples in Ayutthaya: Wat Tamnak, Wat Photong, and Wat Jongkolnee, of which Mr Nopparat was accused along with two alleged accomplices, the former director of the Buddhist Places Division, Pranom Kongpikul, and the former director of the Temple Restoration and Religious Welfare Section, Wasawat Kittitheerasit.
According to the NACC, the trio demanded that the temples pay at least 90% of their annual subsidies in 2013 back to them, claiming that the returned money would be used to support other temples in remote areas, especially in the deep southern provinces.
By the order, Wat Jongkolnee paid the trio 1.6 million baht from their 2-million-baht subsidy. The cheque was paid to Wathanyu Petcharat, one of Mr Nopparat's siblings.
The other two temples paid 900,000 baht each from their 1-million-baht annual subsidy. All of those payments were transferred to Ms Pranom, according to the investigation.
The other case involved the embezzlement of 28 million baht to support the renovation of five temples in Bangkok, Samut Songkhram, Samut Prakarn, Saraburi, and Nakhon Pathom in the 2014 fiscal year.
The investigation said those temples did not request any renovation budget subsidy from the NOB. The payments were seen to violate NOB regulations.