Prime Minister's Office Minister Chousak Sirinil has told the National Office of Buddhism (NOB) to work with the Thai Sangha Supreme Council to prevent fraud at other temples following the financial scandal involving a former abbot at Wat Rai Khing.
Mr Chousak, who oversees the NOB, said on Monday that he had assigned the office's director to discuss plans to formulate measures with the Sangha Supreme Council aimed at preventing similar incidents in the future.
The director was also told to look closely at several other Buddhist temples to see if financial affairs there were above board, he said.
Meanwhile, Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) deputy chief, Pol Maj Gen Charoonkiat Pankaew, provided updates on the investigation into Yaem Inkrungkao, the former abbot of Wat Rai Khing, who has been accused of embezzling more than 300 million baht from the well-known temple.
According to Pol Maj Gen Charoonkiat, more than 10 individuals connected to Wat Rai Khing temple, including monks, laypoeple and a woman named "Toey", who was allegedly involved in managing temple finances, are being questioned.
However, these suspects have failed to provide clear testimonies to authorities, with some statements contradicting existing evidence, the police said.
Initial investigations revealed more than 10 bank accounts being used in the misconduct, but only five have been submitted for examination so far.
"We need to identify all the accounts involved. Anyone connected to the money trail will be dealt with according to the evidence. Further investigation is still necessary because some details do not align with the evidence," Pol Maj Gen Charoonkiat said.
Initially, the money that was used included both funds directly donated to the former abbot, which were considered personal funds, and money donated to the temple, which was considered temple property.
The investigation will initially focus on the latter, he said. Officials from several agencies, including the NOB, the CIB, the Office of Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission, the National Anti-Corruption Commission, and the Crime Suppression Division, visited the temple in Nakhon Pathom on Monday to collect more evidence. According to a reporter, the authorities noticed several pieces of evidence had been tampered with, while conflicting statements from witnesses have also emerged.