Accused monks ‘not guilty yet’

[rooster59]

Accused monks ‘not guilty yet’

By The Nation

 

Sangha Supreme Council secretary- general Pol Lt-Colonel Pongporn Parmsneh yesterday stresses to reporters in Nakhon Pathom province that five senior monks implicated in the temple fund embezzlement were innocent until proven guilty by a court.

 

SANGHA COUNCIL SAYS NACC HAS TO MAKE THE CALL ON PROSECUTION

 

THE five senior monks, including three members of the Sangha Supreme Council (SSC), implicated in the embezzlement of funds allocated by the National Office of Buddhism (NOB) for three Bangkok Dhamma schools, were “accused persons” and innocent until proved otherwise by the court, SSC secretary-general Pol Lt-Colonel Pongporn Parmsneh said yesterday. 

 

This was because the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) had not yet deemed their alleged wrongdoings fit for prosecution, Pongporn told the media following the SSC general meeting at Nakhon Pathom’s Buddha Monthon Park. 

 

Pongporn, in his capacity as NOB director, had brought the case to the police force’s Counter Corruption Division (CCD), which then probed and forwarded the case against the five monks on April 11 to the NACC. 

 

Asked when he would file more embezzlement complaints against the seven other temples, following the postponement on Thursday, Pongporn said reporters should pose this question to the CCD or the NACC instead.

 

The accused SSC members were Phra Phromdilok, the abbot of |Sam Phraya Temple; Phra Phrommedhi, an assistant abbot of Samphanthawongsaram Temple; and Phra Phromsitti, the abbot of Sa Ket Temple. Also implicated were Phra Medhisuttikorn and Phra Wijitdhammaporn, both assistant abbots of Sa Ket Temple. 

 

Meanwhile, national police commissioner Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda said police were not fretting about prosecuting monks accused of wrongdoings in the case. 

 

Police acted as per evidence and legal steps, Chakthip said, and there was no need to worry. 

 

“There is no law prohibiting police from arresting a monk involved in wrongdoing. Police probing this case would worry if the actions are against good monks but they don’t worry about probing and prosecuting bad monks. All are as per the usual procedure,” he said.

 

If the accused had not done anything wrong, there was no need for them to worry, Chakthip said, declining to elaborate on details of the CCD case report to the NACC. 

 

If other monks held a protest over police accusation against senior monks, such a rally would be handled by law enforcers, Chakthip said.

Disciples upset

 

However, Buddhist Protection Centre of Thailand president Phra Dhammakittimethee, the assistant abbot of Bangkok’s Wat Ratchathiwat Ratchaworawihan, warned that this might escalate to a dispute and an “out of control” incident because many disciples of the three accused SSC members were upset. 

 

The outspoken monk said his centre had not scheduled a press conference about this scandal because he and his group had nothing to do with it or with budgetary matters. They trusted that the case against the senior monks would be as per NOB regulations.

 

He also expressed his personal opinion that a temple could spend the funds allocated from the NOB on other things in addition to the submitted and approved projects, as long as such things were for the benefit of Buddhism. The money should be returned and not doing so might be a “flaw”, but it was not necessarily an intention to cheat or embezzle because the end result benefited the religion too, he said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30343621

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-04-21

[YetAnother]

7 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

SANGHA COUNCIL SAYS NACC HAS TO MAKE THE CALL ON PROSECUTION

this sangha seems to do exactly nothing

[mok199]

the monk hood is anxiously awaiting the ''probe''

[Samui Bodoh]

4 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

However, Buddhist Protection Centre of Thailand president Phra Dhammakittimethee, the assistant abbot of Bangkok’s Wat Ratchathiwat Ratchaworawihan, warned that this might escalate to a dispute and an “out of control” incident because many disciples of the three accused SSC members were upset...

 

...He also expressed his personal opinion that a temple could spend the funds allocated from the NOB on other things in addition to the submitted and approved projects, as long as such things were for the benefit of Buddhism. The money should be returned and not doing so might be a “flaw”, but it was not necessarily an intention to cheat or embezzle because the end result benefited the religion too, he said.

 

Hmm...

 

Every entity that receives government money has to account for it and use it as it was allocated; that is how government funding works.

 

Who do these monks think they are, the Military? 

 

(He said sarcastically...) 

 

[colinneil]

Sounds to me like Pongporn is hoping for a bit of the money to be shifted his way.

Yes everyone is supposed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, so why is he spouting off about it?

[leeneeds]

18 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

The money should be returned and not doing so might be a “flaw”, but it was not necessarily an intention to cheat or embezzle because the end result benefited the religion too, he said.

Sounds like gobbley gobbley gotch

[BobBKK]

The money should be returned and not doing so might be a “flaw”, but it was not necessarily an intention to cheat or embezzle because the end result benefited the religion too, he said.

 

whaaaaaaaaaaat???

[ezzra]

When you constant streams unchecked of monies and other valuable

items coming into the hands of monks who doesn't have to be

accounted for, the temptations are almost unbearable to shove

some of it, or lots of it, into you own pockets, monks or not,

human nature, should they know better? of course, but hey,

do you know what wonderful things i can do with this money?....

[Sonhia]

I'd place my stake on all the accused being found guilty.

[mikebell]

I thought it was Pontius Pilate who washed his hands of involvement in religious persecution?

[meatboy]

the jet is on the tarmac.

[Anak Nakal]

If not monk then jail.

Nice be monk!

[seajae]

once again we see the monks thinking they are a law unto themselves, they  use graft/corruption to benefit themselves then use their positions in the temples to avoid prosecution by having the junior monks protect them. Even the sanga is involved in this corruption, no wonder they dont want anyone to interfere with them, way past time that the buddhist temples lost their protection from prosecution and were treated as everyone else, being a monk does not give them the right to be criminals

[robblok]

Sickening, sure nobody is guilty without a trial but they really look like they are protecting those monks. These guys are real powerful they don't want to lose their support. 

[Lupatria]

Sorry for the repeat: Robbers in robes! ! ! 

[klauskunkel]

1 minute ago, Lupatria said:

Sorry for the repeat: Robbers in robes! ! ! 

Sorry for the pun: monk hoods

[nausea]

The military is an exclusive club, the Sangha is an exclusive club, go figure. Parliament needs to have ultimate control; which is why there is such a strong movement in Thailand against democracy on the Western model.

[AsiaHand]

8 hours ago, YetAnother said:

this sangha seems to do exactly nothing

This means that the BIB and the temple have not decided on the amount of the pay off yet.

[DrTuner]

I'm gonna steal this as my new motto. 'I ain't guilty yet!'

[Srikcir]

11 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Police probing this case would worry if the actions are against good monks but they don’t worry about probing and prosecuting bad monks.

Yes, the fundamental flaw in the Thai jurisprudence system.

Therein are the undefined "good people" vs the "bad people" that transcends class, education and income. It defines the common law upon which Thais are judged by a transitory rule of law that is unrestrained and autocratic in the use of authority.

 

[metisdead]

A post bringing a member of the Royal family into the discussion has been removed.