Jet-set monk faces 114 years in jail for fraud
A former Buddhist monk who provoked outrage with his lavish lifestyle was on Thursday sentenced to 114 years in prison after a court found him guilty of fraud, money laundering and computer crimes.
Wirapol Sukphol, who was seen in a YouTube video in 2013 holding wads of cash on a private jet, returned to Thailand in July last year after being extradited from the United States.
Wirapol, a Thai formerly known by his monastic name, Luang Pu Nenkham, was expelled from the monkhood in 2013 after the video surfaced. He was accused of having sexual intercourse – a grave offence for monks – with an underage girl, among other charges. He later fled to the US.
A court in Bangkok sentenced Wirapol to 114 years in prison although he will serve 20 years because Thai law stipulates that is the maximum for someone found guilty of several counts of the same offence.
“He committed fraud by claiming to have special power to lure in people and he also bought many luxury cars, which is considered a moneylaundering offence,” an official at the Department of Special Litigation said.
Neither Wirapol nor his lawyer made comment. Wirapol also faces charges of child molestation and child abduction. A verdict in that case is expected in October.
Wirapol’s case highlighted a series of sex and money scandals that have rocked Thailand’s Buddhist clergy in recent years, resulting in calls for reforms of religious institutions.
The military government that came to power after a 2014 coup has stepped up efforts to clean up Buddhism by arresting monks involved in corruption scandals and through the introduction of a bill that reduces the influence of Buddhism’s Sangha Supreme Council – the governing body of Buddhist monks.
Wirapol, who bragged on social media about his wealth, claimed to have ‘special powers’