A 70-year-old abbot at one of Thailand’s most prominent temples has surrendered to police in Bangkok, amid allegations he embezzled over 300 million baht and used the funds for gambling.
Phra Thamma Wachiranuwat, the abbot of Wat Rai Khing in Nakhon Pathom and an ecclesiastical regional governor, reported to the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) at 10am on Thursday for questioning, just as police were preparing to seek a warrant for his arrest.
According to a senior police source, the Crime Suppression Division had received a complaint months ago concerning financial irregularities at the temple.
Undercover investigators were deployed to monitor the situation and spent eight months gathering evidence.
Findings revealed that the abbot had instructed the temple board to transfer funds from the temple’s bank account into his personal account.
The money was then reportedly sent to a woman suspected of operating on behalf of gambling websites.
Authorities estimate that approximately 300 million baht was transferred from the temple’s account to the abbot over a five-year period.
Further investigation revealed over 500 million baht in transactions between the abbot’s account and accounts linked to gambling platforms.
With temple funds running low, the abbot allegedly sought financial assistance from senior monks at other temples, requesting loans in the hundreds of thousands to millions of baht.
At noon on Thursday, the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases approved a police request for an arrest warrant. The abbot now faces charges of malfeasance and embezzlement in his capacity as a government official.
The woman linked to the case, identified only as Aranyawan, was previously arrested in connection with the gambling website Lagalaxy911 but later released on bail.
Wat Rai Khing, located in the Samphran district of Nakhon Pathom, is a century-old temple widely visited by Thai and foreign devotees who come to pray for blessings.
