The Abbot of Khantitham Forest Monastery in Si Sa Ket, Luang Pu Nen Kham Chittako, is suspected of money laundering. In ten of the abbot's and monks' sixteen bank accounts, transactions amounting to 200 million baht take place every day.
The Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) has forbidden them to move money around. If they do, they risk a prison sentence of 2 years. When vehicles or planes are bought, they will be confiscated, said Suwanee Sawaengpol, deputy secretary general of Amlo.
Next week, a team from Amlo will go to the forest monastery to conduct a preliminary investigation, after which Amlo will be asked for permission for a comprehensive investigation.
The investigation comes in response to demands from a Facebook group called the 'Facebook network against acts that destroy the nation, religion and the monarchy' in response to videos and photos circulating on social media. It shows Luang Pu Nen Kham traveling by private jet and helicopter, wearing expensive fashion accessories, using electronic Gadgets plays and presumably sleeps with a woman.
The 200 million that Amlo is now investigating only concern transactions of 2 million baht or more. Financial institutions are required to report these to Amlo; smaller transactions are missing.
It is suspected that the abbot and his accomplices have committed fraud through such projects as erecting a Buddha statue, opening accounts for religious donations and establishing a hospital. Among the abbot's accomplices are his alleged wife and children. Amlo is working with the Office of National Buddhism to collect more data.
(Source: Bangkok Post, July 3, 2013)
[youtube]http://youtu.be/sANFgwoJeic[/youtube]
Without wanting to put Buddhism in a bad light and to tar all monks with the same brush, but in line with the above article because it involves a lot of money.
In other words, given the many gift boxes that are scattered here and there in all those temples in which one can slide a banknote, I cannot imagine that a (high) monk or any other employee of a temple has never even had the temptation to take a selection from it. to take.