Prosecutors indict abbot, Nopparat in temple case

Nopparat Benjawatananun, a former director of the National Office of Buddhism, and an abbot of a temple in Phetchabun have been indicted by prosecutors for the alleged laundering of money embezzled from temples.

Prayut Petkhun, deputy spokesman of the Office of the Attorney-General, said yesterday the prosecutors decided to indict the pair and to drop indictment against Chatchai Chuchua, director of the NOB provincial office in Pathum Thani, due to weak evidence.

Mr Nopparat, who is on the run, and Phra Khru Kitti Phacharakhun, the abbot of Wat Lat Khae temple in Phetchabun and also Chon Daen district’s monastic chief, are embroiled in the alleged laundering of the office’s fund allocated to temples in Phetchabun, Nakhon Sawan, Tak and Chumphon. After the allocation, the fund had allegedly been embezzled by officials at the NOB in collusion with senior temple monks. The embezzled fund was then laundered, according to investigators.

The case is one of many involving more than 30 temples in the socalled “change money” controversy, in which senior officials were accused of giving out state money intended for temple maintenance, and then asking temples to return the money to their private accounts.

Mr Prayut said yesterday prosecutors have ordered police to bring Mr Nopparat to face the indictment order within 20 years of the statute of limitations of the case.

For Mr Chatchai, prosecutors will formally ask police whether they will object to the decision not to indict him. If the police object, they will have to reply to such effect to the attorneygeneral who has the final decision on whether to push through with the indictment.

Former abbot Phra Khru Kitti Phacharakhun is being remanded in custody at the Bangkok Special Prison. He put up a 700,000-baht surety to seek bail yesterday. However, the court set his bail at 1.5 million baht.

He could not raise the cash and spent the night in a cell.